Setanta Sports, earlier this year, announced the acquisition of rights to broadcast four top-class motor racing categories; GP2, Superleague Formula, the FIA GT Championship and DTM, in 2009.
Check out our TV listings for upcoming motorsports broadcasts.
The FIA Championship commenced the fine season of racing on Setanta, as the Vitaphone Racing Team looks to win the title for the fourth year in succession.
The series features some highly entertaining and massively competitive sports car action, and if you’re a fan of beautiful machines, it doesn’t get much better than is.
GP2 is Formula 1’s main feeder series, with Timo Glock, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg amongst the racers to have won the title and found truly international stardom. Taking into account that the teams must use the same chassis and engines, driver ability is the crucial factor, making it a series that only the elite of young racers can find a drive in.
However, GP2 is far more than just a breeding ground – it is one of the world’s top categories in its own right, and thus the competition between the squads and drivers is fierce. Battling against those hoping to catch the eye of the F1 chiefs are some massively experienced drivers, desperate to put one over on the youngsters and achieve glory in a prestigious category.
Setanta Sports broadcast the inaugural season of Superleague Formula in 2008 and the series returns for its second season this summer. Teams in the category represent some of the world’s top football clubs in a unique concept, with the likes of AC Milan, Liverpool FC, Borussia Dortmund, Corinthians, FC Porto, Galatasaray, Flamengo and Rangers FC all involved.
The inventive qualifying sessions last year were consistently followed by thrilling racing and 2010 promises much of the same from the V12-powered, 750bhp single-seater machines.
Magny-Cours in France hosts the opening weekend of the six-event, 12-race season, on June 27 and 28, and Setanta Sports will be there for coverage.
Finally to DTM, the German Touring Car Championship: the series is one of the best and most prestigious of its kind in the world. The heavily-modified versions of Audi and Mercedes street cars make for battling action, with contact between the competitors extremely commonplace on the track, providing a style of racing very different – but no less competitive – to the world’s top open-wheel series.
Britain's Paul Di Resta, Jamie Green, Susie Stoddart, and McLaren F1 test driver Gary Paffett will be up against the likes of big names Tom Kristensen, Mattias Ekström, Ralf Schumacher and the current champion, Timo Scheider, in the battle for honours.
Click here for details on how to subscribe to Setanta Sports on Satellite, Freeview or Broadband.