As all motorsport TV apart from F1 and Moto GP gets marginalised off terrestrial TV in favour of rubbish reality TV game shows etc - we should applaud any coverage a championship gets on any digital channel. Remember when the "British Open Championship" was shown on "Grandstand" at peak times..."those were the days, proper cars, screaming BDA's etc etc"
Enclose PR below:
Mark Higgins will defend his Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship title against some of the sport’s hottest properties on Sky this summer.
Junior World Championship regular Guy Wilks, ex-British title holder David Higgins and Mitsubishi’s Gwyndaf Evans will all be pitting their wits against Higgins in a series of rallies staged across the country.
Sky Sports will show highlights of each round the Monday after each event, beginning with the Pirelli International Rally from Carlisle in April. The coverage will include all six meetings, together with a season preview and end of season round-up.
Sky has extended its deal to show the series until 2009, and the coverage will also see the continuation of Rallyzone, Sky’s popular magazine show.
The hour-long shows will be presented by Mike Brewer and former driver Robbie Head, while motoring broadcaster Richard Nichols joins Robbie in the commentary box.
The events in the Championship are:
Pirelli International Rally Carlisle 20-21 Apr
Jim Clark International Rally Kelso, Scotland 25-27 May
Rally Isle of Man Isle of Man 19-21 July
Ulster International Rally Armagh 31 Aug-1 Sep
International Rally Yorkshire York 6 Oct
Rally of Great Britain Wales 30 Nov-2 Dec
Announcing the coverage, Sue Ashworth of Sky Sports, said: “The British Rally Championship is the breeding ground for young talent, with a variety of challenging courses testing their skills to the limit. The likes of Colin McRae, Ari Vatanen and Richard Burns have all raced at this level and I’m sure the meetings will be fascinating viewing.”
The action will be captured by on-board cameras from the top cars and a number of kerb cameras mounted at strategic positions throughout the stage to obtain spectacular shots from the gravel and tarmac courses in addition to stage-side cameras.
Rallyzone includes news, previews and features from the world of rallying, with coverage of several classes and a preview to the next round of the British Rally Championship. It is presented by Robbie Head.
Sky Sports shows a huge range of motorsport throughout the year with nearly 2,500 hours of programming in 2006. The coverage includes the Indy Racing Leagues, Elite League Speedway, World Championship Speedway, British Superbikes, A1GP as well as a host of magazine shows.
