British Superbikes 2014 season finale live on Eurosport

Two of the most successful riders in the history of the British Superbike Championship go head-to-head for a record-breaking fourth title this weekend at Brands Hatch and British Eurosport will have all the action covered from what promises to be an exhilarating 2014 season finale.

England’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne has a slender 12 point lead over Japan’s Ryuichi Kiyonari ahead of the triple-header title decider at the famous Kent circuit, with a maximum score of 75 points up for grabs in the final three races of the season.

The pair have battled all season long in their quest to take the record number of British Superbike title wins and the day of destiny is upon both riders in a rivalry which has been dubbed ‘The War for Four’, as both aim to secure that illusive fourth BSB crown.

The third and final season-ending Showdown round, which is also the 12th and final BSB race meeting of the campaign, will be a triple-header weekend, with qualifying and first BSB race taking place on Saturday, October 17, while the championship-deciding races two and three, plus the support class races, take place on Sunday, October 18.

After a blistering start to the season on his Kawasaki in which he won six of the opening eight races, Byrne struggled for race wins until his victory in the second race at Assen, the opening Showdown round, the three-meeting season finale first introduced by BSB in 2010 to spice up the show.

Kiyonari, on the other hand made a slow start to the year before picking up six wins, including double victories at Oulton Park and Donington, with his emergence as a title challenger on his BMW surprising many in the paddock after he struggled to impress in last year’s championship.

The 32-year-old moved from Honda to Buildbase BMW for this year and rediscovered his form from earlier in his career when he won three BSB titles from 2006 to 2009.

In favour of the Englishman, Byrne has an impressive record at Brands Hatch, his home circuit, and will enter the final round as favourite, with the 37-year-old having secured a double race win here at the opening round of the year.

But Japanese superstar Kiyonari also picked up a win at the circuit in July, which places extra importance on Saturday’s already crucial qualifying session.

The autumnal British weather could also play its part in this tense championship battle, with riders and fans alike hoping for a relatively dry race weekend at Brands Hatch, in what is set to be a thrilling final race weekend of what has been a highly exciting season.

Ahead of the final clash in the so-called ‘War for Four’, British Eurosport and ITV Sport’s James Haydon told britishsuperbike.com: “What a season it has been! When Kiyo moved to BMW it came as quite a surprise really and he got settled into the new team and he really started to get his confidence back.

“On the other side of the story, Shakey dominated the early part of the season and at that early stage he really looked like he had the edge. He really is a class act and I think in the Showdown has shown what a real champion he is, particularly when he outfoxed Kiyo in the second race at Assen.

“He has a 12 point advantage and he has a lot of success on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix track, but then we saw last year that he has also been beaten there to the title by Alex so it is so close to call!

“What I do know is that both of them are the most successful riders ever in the championship and I don’t think that either of them will get away from each other as they are so equal. 

“It is a shame that one of them has to lose really as they are the top dogs in MCE BSB. One thing is for sure though, it is going to be an incredible finish to the ‘War for Four’ at Brands Hatch!”

Follow the championship decider live from Brands Hatch on British Eurosport or by watching ITV4’s free-to-air highlights as the British Superbikes season draws to an unmissable conclusion.

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British Eurosport will be the only place to watch live coverage of the dramatic MCE British Superbike Championship title decider live from Brands Hatch.

The pan-European channel will bring motorcycling fans full live on-site coverage of entire race day on Sunday, October 18, featuring the two championship-deciding, as well as the qualifying and the opening race of the triple-header weekend on Saturday, October 17, both airing on British Eurosport 2 and British Eurosport 2 HD.

British Eurosport’s live coverage will be presented Matt Roberts, who joined the on-air team at the beginning of the season after eight years covering MotoGP for the BBC.

He will be joined trackside at Brands Hatch by regular analysts and former BSB riders James Haydon and James Whitham, with the pair sharing co-commentary duties on each of the live races alongside the veteran Jack Burnicle, who leads the team for all three BSB races as well as the and other support races.

Alongside the live action, a special highlights programmes rounding up the dramatic final showdown weekend in BSB and the support series will be shown on Monday, October 19, at 7.00pm in a special two-hour programme on British Eurosport.

British Eurosport has offered its biggest commitment to the British Superbike Championship this year with its increased coverage including every BSB qualifying session at every race meeting for the first time.

At the end of last season, Eurosport agreed a new long term partnership for exclusive live coverage of Britain’s biggest two-wheel racing series, securing the championship on its channels until the end of the 2020 season.

The deal with MotorSport Vision (MSV), the commercial rights holders of the series, renews exclusive TV and digital rights for live coverage of every round on British Eurosport, as well as across all Eurosport’s portfolio of channels in Europe and Asia.

As well as comprehensive live TV coverage and highlights programming, all the BSB action will be available to watch via the online subscription service Eurosport Player.

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As the title goes down to the wire at Brands Hatch, ITV Sport will be showing free-to-air highlights of the spectacular finale to the 2014 British Superbike Championship season.

There will be an extended 95-minute highlights show airing on ITV4 and ITV4 HD on Wednesday, October 22, covering all three championship-deciding BSB races, including race build-up and interviews, as well as all the key on-track moments.

Further showings will follow on ITV4 on the following Saturday, as well as on the main ITV network in the early hours of the morning on Monday, October 27.

Former MotoGP, World and British Superbikes rider James Haydon presents ITV’s highlights programme from Brands Hatch, with race commentary led by the highly respected motorcycling broadcaster Toby Moody and former grand prix rider Niall Mackenzie.

ITV’s highlights show will available to watch online via catch-up service ITV Player for up to 30 days after transmission, while ITV Sport’s dedicated British Superbikes website has all the latest news and video from the series.

British Superbikes highlights forms part of ITV4’s extensive motorsport portfolio in 2014, which also features live British Touring Cars and Formula E, as well as MotoGP and Isle of Man TT highlights.

On the eve of the season back in April, ITV Sport agreed a new five-year deal to screen highlights of every British Superbike meeting, guaranteeing free-to-air exposure for the series until the end of 2018.

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