BSB Popularity Tops Touring Car Appeal
The fast developing, three way battle for supremacy in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, held in 2006, brought record numbers of spectators both at the circuits hosting the action but also to a massive television audience enjoying the action live‚ in the comfort of their own homes.
The final round, in which HM Plant Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari snatched the champion's trophy from the Airwaves Ducati duo of Leon Haslam and Gregorio Lavilla was watched by an ITV1 audience in excess of 1.5 million viewers, an audience topped only by Formula 1. And, despite the inclement weather, 45,600 spectators were at Brands Hatch over the weekend to soak up the thrills, drama and excitement.
Figures just released from audited viewing statistics show that over the twelve rounds of the Superbike championship, the live ITV1 coverage attracted an average adult audience of some 11,552,000. This equates to an average viewership of 962,000 per round and, in terms of audience share, some 10.68%.
For the first time, direct comparisons could be drawn with the British Touring Car Championship, also shown live on ITV1. That series attracted an average audience of 863,000, an audience share of 9.31% but almost 100,000 less than tuned in to watch the Superbikes.
Throughout the 2006 season, Superbikes were consistently more popular, according to the official viewing figures. The two wheeled action also was aired to 270,000 viewers on Sky Sports, with that broadcaster carrying over 100 hours of coverage of the raceday action. This included British 125GP, British Supersports, Metzeler Racetec National Superstock & the Virgin Mobile Cup, together with the Superbikes.
Spectator attendances at the circuits for Superbikes were also significantly increased, with some 317,100 attending the twelve rounds; an average of 26,425, which is some 2000 up on the previous year. this was despite bad weather at three meetings and the loss of a fourth at Mondello Park because of torrential rain.
"The figures speak for the themselves. We have a compelling product that has wide ranging appeal and is taking our sport to a whole new audience, who importantly are showing that they want more of the same." reflected Tony Partis, the managing director of Dorna UK, the commercial rights holders of the championship.
"We have worked hard to achieve these results and are delighted with the quality of the television broadcasts and the massed audiences they are reaching. The figures have shown consistent improvements over the whole season and now we are working to achieve even better on and off the track."
The British Superbike Championship has high profile factory supported teams from five of the world's leading manufacturers. It is decided over 13 double race rounds held at the country's leading circuits, with a trip to the Irish Mondello Park circuit also included.
The 2007 season begins at Brands Hatch on Easter Monday 9 April, with coverage on both ITV1 and Sky Sports.