Motorcycling

Rally Ireland achieves record audience - 21 Apr 08

Rally Ireland attracted the biggest television audience for a World Rally Championship event in 2007, with 62 million viewers in over 180 countries.

Bwin extends MotoGP sponsorship deal - 28 Mar 08

Online gaming company, bwin, has renewed its sponsorship deal with Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holders of MotoGP, for the seasons 2008 and 2009.

Qatar upgrades track for F1 bid - 28 Mar 08

Qatar is to upgrade its Losail International Circuit, which is best known for hosting major motorcycling events, to cater for Formula One.

Eurosport and Channel 4 to show British Superbikes - 6 Mar 08

Pan-European broadcaster Eurosport and commercial broadcaster Channel 4 secured the TV rights for the Bennetts British Superbike Championship in the UK.

MotorSport Vision takes over British Superbike Championship - 21 Feb 08

MotorSport Vision agreed a ten-year deal to take over the organisation and promotion of the British Superbike Championship from Dorna, starting with the 2008 season.

Record year for International Speedway Corp - 25 Jan 08

NASCAR track operators, International Speedway Corporation, have reported record financial results for the twelve months to November 30, 2007.

BMW to move into World Superbike Championship - 11 Dec 07

BMW said it would enter a team into the World Superbike championship for the 2009 season.

Superleague Formula visits six circuits - 22 Nov 07

Superleague Formula, the new motorports series which claims to merge the passion of international football with the excitement of high-tech motorsport, has announced a schedule which takes in six European circuits, starting at Donington, UK, in August, 2008.

OmniTicket Network wins Singapore GP contract - 6 Nov 07

Singapore GP Pte Ltd has appointed OmniTicket Network, a provider of admission and venue management systems, as exclusive ticket distributor for the 2008 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.

Isle of Man TT earns £48m for local economy - 30 Oct 07

The economic impact of the year’s Centenary Isle of Man TT races to the Isle of Man economy was £48 million, according to the island’s Tourism and Leisure department.

A1GP signs up event partner - 1 Oct 07

The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has signed a major sponsorship to mark the start of its third year of racing.

BMW to enter a World Superbikes team - 1 Oct 07

BMW said it would enter the World Superbike championship for the 2009 season.

Venture capital firm suffers F1 profit slump - 24 Sep 07

Formula One’s commercial profits have fallen to just $6 million since the sport's commercial rights were acquired by the private equity company, CVC, according to UK press reports.

RIZLA EXTENDS SUZUKI MOTOGP SPONSORSHIP - 20 Aug 07

Rizla has extended its sponsorship of the Suzuki MotoGP team for a further season.

INDIANAPOLIS TO HOST MOTOGP IN 2008 - 17 Jul 07

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) has agreed a multi-year deal with Dorna, the commercial rights holder for MotoGP to host the second round of the World Championships.

THE BRICKYARD COURTS MOTOGP CHIEFS - 22 Jun 07

Track chiefs at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have confirmed they are in talks with a view to staging a MotoGP race at the circuit next year.

BSI SPEEDWAY ANNOUNCES TITLE SPONSORSHIP - 6 Jun 07

BSI Speedway agreed a deal with Meridian Lifts to title sponsor the 2007 FIM British Speedway Grand Prix.

CAPITALIZE TO PROMOTE FIM CHAMPIONSHIPS - 3 May 07

Capitalize has been appointed by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) to promote the QMMF Endurance FIM World Championship.

DORNA CHIEF DISMISSES MOTOGP FEARS - 30 Apr 07

The head of Dorna Sports – rights holders for the MotoGP series – has denied motorcycling’s top series is facing a crisis.

MOTOGP TEAMS CONTINUE BLUE-CHIP SPONSORSHIP CHASE - 17 Apr 07

MotoGP teams will continue to debate ideas for bringing blue chip, multinational companies into the sport at this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix.

CAPCOM WINS MOTO GP GAMING RIGHTS - 17 Apr 07

Capcom acquired the rights to publish a MotoGP game on the PlayStation.

FIAT TO SPONSOR YAMAHA IN TWO-YEAR DEAL - 6 Mar 07

Italian carmaker FIAT agreed a two-year deal to be title sponsor of Valentino Rossi's Yamaha MotoGP team.

DORNA SPORTS TAKES WASSERMAN MEDIA GROUP ON BOARD - 1 Mar 07

Dorna Sports, the exclusive holder of the MotoGP World Championship commercial and television rights, appointed Wasserman Media Group (WMG) to manage global marketing opportunities for its marquee racing events.

MOTOGP: DUCATI AND ALICE RENEW SPONSORSHIP UNTIL 2009 - 13 Nov 06

MotoGP team Ducati renewed its sponsorship agreement with high-speed internet brand Alice for a further three years.

2007 MOTOGP CALENDAR CONFIRMED - 8 Nov 06

MotoGP finalised its 2007 calendar with the season beginning on March 10 in Qatar.

QATAR LANDS MOTOGP OPENER - 18 Oct 06

MotoGP chiefs have confirmed Qatar will host the start of next season’s world championship.

BSI SIGNS MULTI MILLION DOLLAR DEAL WITH POLISH PAY-TV - 5 Sep 06

BSI has agreed a deal with Polish Pay TV broadcaster CANAL+ Cyfrowy, the owner of Pay TV CANAL+ Poland, for the exclusive live TV rights for both the FIM Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) Series and the FIM Speedway World Cup (SWC) until 2011.

FIRST A DEAL – NOW RACE DATE FOR US GP - 20 Aug 06

Formula One chiefs have confirmed next season’s US Grand Prix will take place on June 17 – news which follows hot on the heels of a one-year extension to stage the race.

BRIDGEPOINT WINS CONTROL OF MOTO GP - 19 Jul 06

Private equity firm Bridgepoint acquired a controlling stake in Dorna, the Spanish company that owns the rights for MotoGP.

MOTOGP SIGNS US TV DEAL - 14 Jul 06

In a landmark deal for motorcycling, MotoGP will be broadcast on network TV in the US after an agreement was reached between US broadcaster ABC and MotoGP’s commercial rights-holders Dorna Sports.

SPEEDWAY SET FOR MULTI-MILLION MAKEOVER - 24 May 06

Dover International Speedway is set to undergo a multi-million dollar refurbishment programme.

INDY 500 WILL REACH 340m WORLDWIDE - 24 May 06

ESPN will distribute this weekend’s Indy 500 to more than 200 countries and around 340m households in its role as exclusive worldwide TV partner of IndyCar.

VEGAS BANKS ON NASCAR WEEKEND - 17 May 06

The NASCAR weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March had a $197m impact on the state’s economy, according to the latest figures.

STADIUM SIGNS FIVE-YEAR SPEEDWAY EXTENSION - 10 May 06

Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium has signed a new five-year contract with BSI, rights holders of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series, to host the British GP.

LIFE'S A BEACH FOR ISC - 3 Apr 06

NASCAR chiefs have signed a new deal with Daytona Beach officials to ensure the series will be racing at the legendary venue until 2054.

BSI APPOINTS CHAIRMAN - 28 Mar 06

Sports rights marketing agency BSI has appointed Matthew Wheeler as chairman from April 3, 2006.

DANISH UNION NAMED SPEEDWAY TITLE SPONSOR - 27 Mar 06

Dansk Metal, one of Denmark’s leading national engineering unions, is the new title sponsor of the 2006 FIM Danish Speedway Grand Prix.

MOTOGP WEBSITE REVAMP - 17 Mar 06

The official website of motorcycling's MotoGP World Championship, www.motogp.com, has undergone a redesign and is offering a new contents package.

SKY SPORTS BOOST FOR SPEEDWAY - 9 Mar 06

Sky Sports has signed a new five-year deal with the BSPA (British Speedway Promoters Association) for live coverage of speedway.

BANK OF AMERICA EXTENDS NASCAR DEAL - 22 Feb 06

Bank of America Corp. has reached a new five-year deal with International Speedway Corp., which runs NASCAR, to sponsor four race tracks.

MTA MEDIA STAY ONBOARD FOR FIM SPEEDWAY EVENTS - 14 Feb 06

Sports marketing company, BSI, has appointed sports communications agency, MTA Media, to oversee a public and media relations campaign for FIM Speedway events.

DAYTONA DRINKS TO BUD - 13 Feb 06

Budweiser will become the Official Beer of Daytona International Speedway under a new multi-year agreement.

NASCAR FAILS TO THROW OUT $400m LAWSUIT - 30 Jan 06

NASCAR’s hopes of seeing a multi-million dollar lawsuit against it dismissed have been thrown out of court.

NASCAR HALL OF FAME DOWN TO THREE - 6 Jan 06

Possible sites for NASCAR's first official Hall of Fame are Atlanta, Charlotte or Daytona Beach, Fla., and it expects to pick a winning city by the end of March.

ECCLESTONE SELLS F1 INTEREST - 28 Nov 05

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and German bank BayernLB have sold their controlling stake in the Formula One Group.

F1 BACK IN US NEXT YEAR - 22 Sep 05

Formula One is to race once more at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2006 – despite the public relations disaster earlier this year when most teams boycotted the race.

INDY-CAR SCHEDULE CUT - 14 Sep 05

Indy-car racing will shrink from 17 races to 14 in 2006 and compress the smaller season into less than six months, Indy Racing League (IRL) officials have announced.

INSURANCE COMPANY BACKS NEW PREMIER SQUASH LEAGUE - 7 Sep 05

England's top squash league will be renamed the Premier Squash League (PSL) for the forthcoming season.

RIAS RACES AHEAD IN SPEEDWAY DEAL - 19 Aug 05

RIAS, the specialist over-50s insurer, has agreed an extension to its headline sponsorship with the Poole RIAS Pirates speedway team.

ACTION SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS MAKE UK DEBUT - 12 Aug 05

The LG Action Sports World Championships are to be held in Manchester, UK - the first time the championships have been held outside the United States.

ACTION SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS MAKE UK DEBUT - 12 Aug 05

The LG Action Sports World Championships are to be held in Manchester, UK - the first time the championships have been held outside of the United States.

KERR APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF BRITISH EUROSPORT - 19 Jul 05

David Kerr, current Head of Sport at Channel 4, has been appointed the new Director of Brtish Eurosport.

BOOKMAKER BETS ON SPEEDWAY - 1 Jul 05

The world's biggest independent bookmaker, Betfred, will become title sponsor of the Speedway Championship of Great Britain.

BSI AND PARKEN IN SPEEDWAY DEAL - 21 Jun 05

BSI, rights holders of the world championship FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series, has extended its deal with PARKEN Sport and Entertainment for the FIM Danish Speedway Grand Prix.

INDY 500 GETTING SERIOUS - 2 Jun 05

CD-ROM technology is being used to drive fans to the official Indy 500 site to encourage ticket renewal for next year’s event.

BRITISH EUROSPORT TARGETS NEW VIEWERS THROUGH ATM - 10 May 05

British Eurosport has become the first TV broadcaster to use cash machines for an advertising campaign targeting viewers outside its regular audience.

SPEEDWAY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP REVS UP - 28 Apr 05

A new-style FIM Speedway World Championship gets underway this weekend, featuring nine Grand Prix and 16 qualified riders rather than 24.

MIAMI SPEEDWAY LIGHTS UP - 13 Apr 05

NASCAR venue the Homestead-Miami Speedway has confirmed it is to install lights at the circuit to allow night-time racing – and prime-time TV action.

POLISH SPEEDWAY DEAL - 5 Apr 05

Poland’s national terrestrial broadcaster, TVP, has signed a two-year agreement with rights holder BSI for highlights of the world championship FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series (SGP).

ACTION SPORTS TOUR IN TV DEAL - 10 Mar 05

Apparent Gravity Media (AGM), a leading provider of action sports and sports lifestyle programming, will partner the Dew Action Sports Tour, the first-ever season-long professional multi-sport tour in action sports.

SKY FIRST FOR BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP - 4 Mar 05

Sky Sports will broadcast the British Rally Championship for the first time, throughout the 2005 season.

NEW £22M GB CYCLING COMPLEX - 16 Feb 05

British cycling is to build a new £22million complex as part of the proposed Olympic Park.

SENDO SEES DOUBLE WITH SUPERBIKES TEAM - 15 Feb 05

Sendo, the UK's mobile phone manufacturer, has launched the new works backed Sendo Superbikes team.

SPONSORSHIP FIRST FOR SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - 31 Jan 05

In a first for the Australian Superbike World Championship round, a motorcycle brand will take naming rights to the 2005 event.

Q8OILS LUBRICATES DUCATI - 27 Jan 05

Q8Oils will partner Ducati’s GSE Racing team for the British Superbike Series 2005.

NASCAR REVEALS TV SCHEDULES - 17 Jan 05

NASCAR’s broadcast schedule includes an unprecedented 38 prime-time races, and live coverage of all 99 events from the NEXTEL Cup Series, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series.

CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES' PR APPOINTMENTS - 4 Jan 05

The Champ Car World Series has appointed two public relations veterans to its public relations staff.

BSI CLINCHES DANISH TV DEAL - 17 Dec 04

BSI has signed a four-year agreement with Denmark’s national broadcaster, Denmarks Radio (DR), and cable and satellite channel dk4, to broadcast the World Championship FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series (SGP) and FIM Speedway World Cup (SWC).

VOLVO OCEAN RACE IN PR APPOINTMENT - 12 Nov 04

The Volvo Ocean Race has appointed Cameron Kelleher as its PR director.

DONNINGTON PARK COULD STAGE BRITISH GP - 8 Oct 04

A consortium bidding to rescue the British Grand Prix says the race could be held at Donington Park if a deal cannot be reached with Silverstone's owners.

DICKIES BACK NASCAR - 15 Sep 04

Texas Motor Speedway officials revealed that a Fort Worth-based company will be the primary sponsor for the track's second NASCAR Nextel Cup race.

Driver fined for sponsor cover up - 4 Aug 04

NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson has been fined $10,000 for using a sign to hide the name of a sports drink made by a NASCAR sponsor because he has his own deal with a rival company.

NASCAR MOVES ON TO NEW PASTURES - 3 Aug 04

NASCAR has advanced further from its roots by stripping one Southern track of its only race and reducing another to one event in 2005. Down the road, the stock cars will almost certainly be spending even less time in the Southeast, where the sport flourished.

Qatar opens new track - 12 Jul 04

A major new international motorsports venue in the Middle East has been officially opened.

ISC's mixed fortunes - 8 Jul 04

US motorsport track owner and operator International Speedway Corporation has reported a big drop in income in its latest round of financial results – but overall paints a positive picture of its operations.

NASCAR drives into Canada - 15 Jun 04

NASCAR is expanding into new territories after opening a new office in Canada, designed to provide it with a springboard to a range of new commercial deals.

Ganassi hit by lawsuit - 2 Jun 04

Team owner and former CART driver Chip Ganassi has been hit by a multi-million dollar lawsuit claiming he has yet to pay his share of a $35m debt linked to the construction of Chicago Motor Speedway.

Exclusive: Crash.net's Days of Thunder - 30 Apr 04

Online motorsport magazine Crash.net is to have a fully branded car in the UK Days of Thunder series, in a deal believed to be the first time an online motorsport portal has assumed title sponsorship of a race car.

Superbikes signs title deal - 8 Apr 04

The UK government’s Department for Transport has signed a major title sponsorship deal with the British Superbikes Championship.

Superbikes finds a Friend - 7 Apr 04

Fisherman’s Friend has reached a new one-year deal with the Superbike World Championship.

Sky Bets on speedway - 31 Mar 04

Sky Bet has signed a two-year deal to become the title sponsor of British Speedway’s Elite League.

Tiscali doubles up - 25 Mar 04

European internet company Tiscali has renewed its sponsorship of the MotoGP.

Texas and NASCAR in talks - 24 Mar 04

NASCAR is reportedly on the verge of awarding the Texas Motor Speedway a second lucrative Nextel Cup race – despite the two being locked in a legal dispute.

Gravity drawn to Cleveland - 16 Mar 04

Action sports event the Gravity Games is to be staged in Cleveland for the third consecutive year.

BSI lifts new deal - 11 Mar 04

Benfield Sports International (BSI) has signed a deal with UK company Meridian Lifts to become an official sponsor of the world championship FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series (SGP).

BSI short-listed for award - 9 Mar 04

Benfield Sports International (BSI) – rights holder of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series – has been nominated for a top sponsorship award in Sweden.

All-Star race on the move? - 25 Feb 04

NASCAR chiefs say they have not ruled out moving the venue of its annual all-star race next year.

Bain appointed CEO - 11 Feb 04

Rob Bain - the former CEO of Octagon Motorsports - has been appointed CEO of a firm specialising in managed customer services for major events.

BSI gets chemical boost - 4 Feb 04

Benfield Sports International (BSI) has agreed a four-year deal with Swedish chemical products company VEIDEC to be elite sponsors of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series (SGP).

Track owner in crash - 2 Feb 04

The owner of NASCAR track the New Hampshire International Speedway has been seriously injured in a car crash.

Pava joins the speedway circuit - 22 Jan 04

The FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series has unveiled anti-corrosion specialists Pava as the new title sponsor of the 2004 FIM Norwegian Speedway Grand Prix.

LA7 secures Superbikes - 14 Jan 04

Italian terrestrial TV channel LA7 has acquired the exclusive rights to broadcast the Superbike World Championship in Italy for the next three years.

LPGA sets up home with Kitson - 18 Dec 03

The LPGA has signed a two-year sponsorship deal with Kitson & Partners - the real estate firm which recently announced plans for Grande Champion, the new development phase of LPGA International.

BSI sign new TV deals - 17 Dec 03

Benfield Sports International (BSI) – rights holder for the FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series (SGP) – has signed two new terrestrial TV deals.

BBC renews MotoGP deal - 15 Dec 03

UK terrestrial broadcaster the BBC has renewed its rights deal with MotoGP until the end of 2009 - a move that will see substantially more live coverage of the motorcycling series than before.

Puma wears Williams well - 8 Dec 03

Sportswear firm Puma has signed a new supplier deal with the BMW WilliamsF1 team.

MIA links up with NASCAR - 4 Dec 03

The UK's Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) is holding a joint conference with US racing series NASCAR to investigate trade opportunities between the two.

Canada ruled out of Superbikes - 3 Dec 03

Canada has been removed as the host venue the opening round of the 2004 World Superbikes Championship.

Silverstone aims for corporates - 20 Nov 03

The home of the British Formula One Grand Prix – Silverstone – is planning a big push on hospitality packages available for 2004.

BSI agrees new naming deal - 13 Nov 03

Benfield Sports International (BSI), rights holder for the FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series, has signed a title sponsor for the Danish race.