BT Sport have unveiled their opening set of fixtures for an exciting summer of domestic speedway in the UK.
All eight Premiership clubs will feature as the battle for a top four spot intensifies on BT Sport, which will also be showing the FIM Speedway Grand Prix and FIM Speedway World Cup for a second season.
The move means BT Sport is the new home of speedway on UK television with 34 speedway events broadcast live during 2017, 18 British Speedway fixtures live starting with the British finals on the June 19 in Manchester, 12 Speedway Grand Prix events and 4 Speedway World Cups.
BT Sport has also confirmed its on-air team for its expanded speedway coverae with presenters Suzi Perry and Natalie Quirk to lead the network’s live action throughout the season.
Scott Nicholls returns as analyst for the Speedway Grand Prix and World Cup events, while former British and Commonwealth champion Kelvin Tatum will provide commentary alongside Nigel Pearson.
Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “This is superb news for speedway fans. We’re thrilled to make BT Sport the home of British Speedway.
“We think fans will relish our coverage and we hope BT Sport will be able convert many more viewers into fans of the sport when they see how exciting and exhilarating it is.”
Keith Chapman, chairman of the British Speedway Promoters’ Association, said: “We’re delighted to welcome BT Sport as our broadcast partners for the 2017 season.
“They successfully hosted the Grand Prix and World Cup last year and we’re pleased to showcase Speedway on the same channel alongside those tournaments.
“This is great news for British TV viewers who will now be able to see regular speedway, both at league and international level. We’re expecting an exciting and entertaining season that will once again show a wider audience what a thrilling spectacle the sport is.”
Terry Russell, of Go Speed International Ltd who negotiated the new deal, said: “We’re extremely pleased British Speedway has a home on BT Sport alongside the GP and World Cup.
“It’s good news for the sport and I’m sure our fans will enjoy the coverage BT Sport provides.
“The meetings scheduled look great, including of course the play-offs, which always provide great drama and TV entertainment.”
British Speedway adds to the wide range of motorsport that BT Sport broadcasts from around the world, including MotoGP, World Rally Championship and the Indycar Series.
Full details of BT Sport’s live speedway schedule for 2017 can be found below. For all the latest speedway news and video, visit BT Sport’s dedicated website – btsport.com/speedway.
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SATURDAY 29th APRIL
Slovenia: Round 1 FIM Speedway Grand Prix
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SATURDAY 13th MAY
Warsaw, Poland: Round 2 FIM Speedway Grand Prix
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MONDAY 29th MAY
Latvia: Round 3 FIM Speedway Grand Prix
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SATURDAY 10th JUNE
Czech Republic: Round 4 FIM Speedway Grand Prix
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MONDAY 19th JUNE
British Finals Speedway Premiership
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SATURDAY 24th JUNE
Denmark: Round 5 FIM Speedway Grand Prix
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MONDAY 26th JUNE
Poole v Belle Vue Speedway Premiership
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SATURDAY 1st JULY
World Cup: Event 1 FIM Speedway World Cup
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TUESDAY 4th JULY
World Cup: Event 2 FIM Speedway World Cup
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FRIDAY 7th JULY
World Cup: Event 3 – Race-Off FIM Speedway World Cup
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SATURDAY 8th JULY
World Cup: Final FIM Speedway World Cup
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MONDAY 10th JULY
Wolverhampton v Rye House Speedway Premiership
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MONDAY 17th JULY
Leicester v Swindon Speedway Premiership
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SATURDAY 22nd JULY
Great Britain: Round 6 FIM Speedway Grand Prix
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MONDAY 24th JULY
Belle Vue v Wolverhampton Speedway Premiership
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MONDAY 31st JULY
Match TBC Speedway Premiership
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MONDAY 7th AUGUST
King’s Lynn v Somerset Speedway Premiership
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SATURDAY 12th AUGUST
Malilla, Sweden: Round 7 FIM Speedway Grand Prix
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MONDAY 14th AUGUST
Somerset v Leicester Speedway Premiership
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MONDAY 21st AUGUST
Swindon v King’s Lynn Speedway Premiership
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SATURDAY 26th AUGUST
Gorzow, Poland: Round 8 FIM Speedway Grand Prix
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MONDAY 28th AUGUST
Rye House v Poole Speedway Premiership
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MONDAY 4th SEPTEMBER
Match TBC Speedway Premiership
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TUESDAY 5th SEPTEMBER
Germany: Round 9 FIM Speedway Grand Prix
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MONDAY 11th SEPTEMBER
Semi-Final 1: Leg 1 Speedway Premiership
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MONDAY 18th SEPTEMBER
Semi-Final 2: Leg 1 Speedway Premiership
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SATURDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER
Stockholm, Sweden: Round 10 FIM Speedway Grand Prix
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MONDAY 25th SEPTEMBER
Semi-Finals 1 & 2: Leg 2 Speedway Premiership
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MONDAY 2nd OCTOBER
Promotion/Relegation Playoff: Leg 1 Speedway Premiership
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WEDNESDAY 4th OCTOBER
Promotion/Relegation Playoff: Leg 2 Speedway Premiership
