IMG acquires BSI Speedway

by Jacquie Bowser, Brand Republic 12-Apr-07, 14:40

LONDON - Sports agency IMG has acquired BSI Speedway, aquiring promotional rights to two FIM events as part of the deal.

The events include the FIM World Individual Speedway Grand Prix Series and the FIM Speedway World Cup.

The existing BSI Speedway management team, including current chief executive John Postlethwaite and managing director Paul Bellamy, will tranfer in the same roles to the BSI Speedway division at IMG with immediate effect.

George Pyne, president of IMG Sports & Entertainment, said: "We are very excited by this acquisition which adds to our existing motorsports involvement in events such as the Lexmark Indy 300, Clipsal 500 and Sandown 500 races in Australia.

"The FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series and FIM Speedway World Cup have come a long way in the last seven years under BSI's management. We feel confident we can add the significant resources that are required to take the two world championships to the next level using IMG's capabilities across all areas of commercial rights and our international network."

Vito Ippolito, president of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), said: "As the new president of the FIM I am delighted that we have been able to attract the world's leading sports and entertainment company to one of our leading racing properties.

"This is the single biggest piece of news to have happened in the sport of speedway in the last thirty years and we now look forward to see the Speedway Grand Prix expand overseas."