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2014 WRC Wales On Live TV! (But It’s BT).

Topics:  Wales Rally GB

2014 WRC Wales On Live TV! (But It’s BT).

Geoff Maxted
DriveWrite
January 14, 2014

No sooner do I get it off my chest last Sunday (The BBC) when what I dreaded has come to pass. The organisers of Wales Rally GB have welcomed news that UK television viewers will enjoy extended coverage – including live action of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) – following confirmation that BT Sport has been announced as the exclusive pay-TV broadcaster for 2014.

The welcome BT Sport WRC programming will run across all three of its channels – BT Sport 1 and 2, and ESPN – and will be in addition to the continuation of post event highlights programmes screened free-to-air on ITV4 and further post-produced shows on Motors TV and the Welsh language Ralio on S4C. The BT Sport announcement was made live on air during Saturday morning’s Panel Show where the presenters were joined in the studio by a Hyundai Shell World Rally Team i20 WRC car and M-Sport World Rally Team driver Matthew Wilson.

Andrew Coe, Chief Executive of Wales Rally GB organiser International Motor Sports, said: "The sport is entering another golden era for us in this country. In November the revitalised Wales Rally GB attracted huge crowds back to the legendary Welsh forests and since then both Elfyn Evans and Kris Meeke have secured full-time drives with two of the very top WRC teams. Now comes news of this great deal with BT Sport which, importantly, is in addition to the widely available coverage on ITV4. Not since the glory days of Colin McRae and Richard Burns has rallying been so blessed – or exciting – in the UK.”

Coverage on BT Sport starts immediately. The 13-round 2014 WRC – which once again reaches its climax on Wales Rally GB in November – opens later this week with the historic Monte Carlo Rally. Viewers of BT Sport will be able to follow the fortunes of both Evans and Meeke – as well as the spectacular series’ other star performers – via special preview and review shows, daily highlights shows and, significantly, three hours of live action over the weekend.

Four-day World Rally Passes for 2014 Wales Rally GB – with prices held at £99 as in 2013 – have just gone on sale via the official walesrallygb.com website. Other passes will be available in the Spring following final confirmation of this year’s Wales Rally GB route and a full review of spectator facilities to accommodate the event’s spiralling popularity.