BTSport’s rumoured plan to become title sponsor for a Dorna-backed Honda Moto3 team starring John McPhee will have to wait until the British pay-to-view broadcaster has secured the rights to MotoGP for another five years.
MotoGP brings in the channel’s second biggest audience (around 300,000 per race) behind Premier League football and BTSport want to lend their name to a British rider in Moto3 as much as Dorna are keen to keep a British rider in the tiddler class.
However, a BTSport insider told BSN this morning that it all hinges on whether they secure the rights to broadcast MotoGP live from 2018 onwards. Due to the popularity of the series right now, Dorna are playing hardball over money and not much is being given in the way of discounts.
How much this affects McPhee and the new team is difficult to judge. Dorna want McPhee to remain in the series as he is the only British rider among a glut of Spaniards and Italians, it is thought Mark Keen will also be retained but BTSport would like it to be an entirely-British affair - besides the actual motorcycle manufacturer - including technicians and back-room staff.
