ARMOY Road Races will be aired on Channel 4 as a one hour highlights programme for the third year running. The programme will be shown at 07.30am on Saturday 13th August 2016, just two weeks after the races.
Renowned for its coverage of sport, Channel 4 and its on demand service, 4OD, sees the Armoy Road Races as a great fit for its programming and hopes to continue to build on last year’s strong viewing figures, which saw over 250,000 people tuning in.
William Munnis, Chairman of the Armoy Motorcycle Road Racing Club said; “We are delighted that Armoy Road Races will feature on Channel 4 again this year. The coverage provides many existing and potential new fans with the opportunity to view the races from a different perspective.
“Television coverage has become crucial in promoting our sport, especially as there are many fans from around the world who can’t make it to Armoy and it may also encourage new fans to come along next year. The Club could not achieve such coverage on their own and this deal could not have been struck without the aid of Tourism Ireland.
“It is important that we continue to highlight road racing and would like to thank Channel 4 for agreeing to feature the Armoy Road Races again.”
Aubrey Irwin, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Northern Ireland said; “Tourism Ireland is supporting the production of a highlights programme of the Armoy Road Races, which will air on Channel 4 for the third year running. Last year’s programme was seen by more than 250,000 viewers across Great Britain – with wonderful images of the Causeway Coast and Glens area, as well as the exciting racing, shining a spotlight on Northern Ireland.
“Armoy attracts a number of the sport’s top riders and this year includes some from Australia, Canada and mainland Europe. The highlights programme on Channel 4 is part of Tourism Ireland’s activity to leverage the tourism benefits of sporting events – showcasing the spectacular scenery of Northern Ireland and encouraging potential overseas visitors to come and see it for themselves.”
Local man, Graham Little and his team at NPE Media will once again be responsible for the production of the programme. Graham is an experienced sports presenter who covered road racing during his time at UTV and is also well known for his work with Sky Sports and with the BBC’s Moto GP coverage a few years ago.
He said; “Armoy Road Races goes from strength to strength each year and we really enjoy working with the Club as they work tirelessly to promote the event. To see both local and international riders return year on year is testament to the calibre of the racing and we are looking forward to being part of the event once again. The programme featuring on Channel 4 gives the event a huge deal of publicity, which can only encourage more people to support it in the future.”
Armoy Road Races is part funded by Tourism Northern Ireland and Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. Bike Week runs from Sunday 24th July until Saturday 30th July 2016 with the SGS International ‘Race of Legends’ featuring on the Saturday 30th July 2016.
Channel 4 will be showing the Armoy Road Races coverage at 07.30am on Saturday 13th August 2016 and on 4OD thereafter.
For more information visit www.amrrc.com or search for ‘AMRRC’ on Facebook and join the official fan page and you can also follow us on twitter at @ArmoyRoadRaces.