Matt Roberts

Last updated

Matt Roberts
Born
Matthew Nicholas Roberts

November 1977 (age 44)
NationalityEnglish
EducationAll Saints High School
OccupationTelevision presenter
Known forTelevision presenter and columnist

Matthew Nicholas Roberts (born November 1977) [1] [2] is an English television presenter, best known for his former work on BBC Sport's MotoGP coverage and latterly in superbike coverage broadcast to UK. [3]

Contents

Education

Roberts attended All Saints High School in Huddersfield as well as Greenhead College and Huddersfield University.

As of 2021 Roberts is undertaking a specialist post-graduate degree known as Master of Sport Directorship at Manchester Metropolitan University. [4] [5] [6]

MotoGP, Isle of Man TT and Superbike work

Roberts has been working in MotoGP since 2001, initially as a writer and then as a commentator. Since 2005 he has expanded his portfolio within the paddock, producing press material for several teams and contributing articles to publications in the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany and the USA.

In addition Roberts has reported extensively on the Isle of Man TT Races. This initially was in the form of conducting rider interviews, however the 2019 coverage saw Roberts taking over as the main anchor from Craig Doyle on the mainstream ITV4 coverage. Initially this was with co-presenter Jodie Kidd, however as of 2022 Roberts has fronted the coverage with Steve Plater. [7]

Roberts worked as a pit-lane reporter at MotoGP races for BBC Sport in 2008 before becoming the main presenter for some rounds in 2009.

In 2009 Roberts shared MotoGP presenting duties with Suzi Perry who presented the European rounds, but Roberts took over for all rounds outside Europe. When handed the responsibility Roberts said "It's a bit different to pit-lane reporting. If I'm interviewing someone or talking to Suzi from the pit-lane then I'm not really thinking about the camera, but with presenting I'm talking straight to it and the people back home and I'm a bit nervous about that."

In 2010 Jennie Gow replaced Perry as the main presenter with Roberts reverting to pit-lane duties, and no longer presenting part-time. [8] [9]

In February 2011, it was confirmed that Roberts would replace the departed Gow as full-time main presenter. His former job in the pitlane was taken by Azi Farni. [10]

After the BBC's contract for MotoGP coverage was not renewed for 2014, Roberts joined Eurosport to anchor their coverage of the Superbike World Championship and the British Superbike Championship alongside James Haydon and fellow Huddersfield native James Whitham. [11]

Other broadcasting

In 2010 and 2011 Roberts hosted BBC Sport's American Football coverage of the NFL play-off games.

Sports management

Roberts has established a partnership and new business with Shane Byrne to mentor young motorcycle racers. [5] [12] [2]

Personal life

Roberts lives in the village of Stainland, Calderdale. He plays football for Huddersfield YMCA in the Yorkshire Amateur League. [11]

Roberts is a supporter of Huddersfield Town. In a MotoGP preview show Roberts interviewed champion racer Valentino Rossi over a game of table football. "I told Rossi beforehand that I was playing with my dream strike force of Gerrard, Gascoigne and Andy Booth. "He picked up on this and in the interview said that after Ibrahimovic, Andy Booth is the number two striker in the world." [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentino Rossi</span> Italian former motorcycle racer (born 1979)

Valentino Rossi is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed The Doctor, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time, with some labelling him as the greatest ever. He has nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name, seven of which were in the premier 500cc/MotoGP class. He holds the record of most premier class victories, with 89 victories to his name. He won premier class World Championships with both Honda and Yamaha. He is also the only road racer to have competed in 400 or more Grands Prix, and rode with the number 46 for his entire career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicky Hayden</span> American motorcycle racer

Nicholas Patrick Hayden, nicknamed "The Kentucky Kid", was an American professional motorcycle racer who won the MotoGP World Championship in 2006. Hayden began racing motorcycles at a young age. He began his road racing career in the CMRA before progressing to the AMA Supersport Championship and then to the AMA Superbike Championship. He won the AMA title in 2002 and was approached by the Repsol Honda team to race for them in MotoGP in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzi Perry</span> British television presenter (born 1970)

Suzi Perry is a British television presenter, currently covering MotoGP for BT Sport. She is best known for covering MotoGP for the BBC for 13 years, The Gadget Show on Channel 5 for 8 years and the BBC's Formula One coverage from 2013 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Biaggi</span> Italian motorcycle racer

Massimiliano "Max" Biaggi is an Italian former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who achieved six World Championships. With four 250 cc road race titles and two in World Superbikes, he is one of only two riders to score championships across both disciplines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Melandri</span> Italian motorcycle racer

Marco Melandri is an Italian retired motorcycle road racer who is a five-time premier class race winner. He is the 2002 250 cc World Champion and runner-up in 125 cc, MotoGP and Superbike World Championship. He competed in the MotoGP class from 2003 to 2010 and then a brief return with Aprilia in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Edwards</span> American motorcycle racer

Colin Edwards II, nicknamed the "Texas Tornado", is an American former professional motorcycle racer who retired half-way through the 2014 season, but continues in the sport as a factory test rider. He is a two-time World Superbike champion and competed in the MotoGP class from 2003 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hopkins (motorcyclist)</span> American motorcycle racer

John "Hopper" Hopkins is a former motorcycle road racer based in the United States. During 2017 he raced in the British Superbike Championship aboard a Ducati 1199 Panigale for Moto Rapido Racing, but suffered injuries from a crash at the season-finale race meeting in October, meaning he could not participate during 2018. He has not made a full recovery, which has so far precluded hopes of a comeback, but he has become involved in rider coaching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Toseland</span> British former motorcycle racer

James Michael Toseland is an English former motorcycle racer and vocalist of his own rock band named Toseland. For 2020, he is team-manager of Wepol Racing with riders in World Supersport and Supersport 300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Sport</span> Sports division of the BBC

BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flagship analysis programmes such as Match of the Day, Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Today at Wimbledon and previously Grandstand. Results, analysis and coverage is also added to the BBC Sport website and through the BBC Red Button interactive television service.

Andrew David Booth is a retired professional footballer. Whilst at Huddersfield he announced his retirement on 22 April 2009, but remains at the club as an ambassador, he also played for Sheffield Wednesday and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and represented his country with the England U21s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jorge Lorenzo</span> Spanish former motorcycle racer

Jorge Lorenzo Guerrero is a Spanish retired professional motorcycle racer. He is a five-time World Champion, with three MotoGP World Championships and two 250cc World Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season</span> Sports season

The 2003 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 55th F.I.M. Road racing World Championship season. The season consisted of 16 races, beginning with the Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix on 6 April 2003 and ending with the Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix on 2 November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee McKenzie</span> Scottish female sports broadcaster

Lee McKenzie is a journalist and presenter who is a reporter and deputy presenter for Channel 4's F1 coverage and also the main presenter of the W Series and Channel 4 Rugby. McKenzie also works on a variety of sports on the BBC including tennis, rugby and equestrian, as well as the Olympics and Paralympic Games. McKenzie has also worked as a presenter for the BBC's F1 coverage, Sky Sports and Sky Sports News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Márquez</span> Spanish motorcycle racer

Marc Márquez Alentà is a Spanish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, who has raced for Honda's factory team since his MotoGP debut in 2013. Born in Cervera, Catalonia, Spain, he is nicknamed the 'Ant of Cervera' worldwide, and 'el tro de Cervera' in his hometown, meaning the 'Thunder of Cervera'. He is one of four riders to have won world championship titles in three different categories, after Mike Hailwood, Phil Read and Valentino Rossi, and is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with eight Grand Prix World Championships to his name, six of which are in the premier class. Márquez became the third Spaniard after Àlex Crivillé and Jorge Lorenzo to win the premier class title, and is the most successful Spanish rider in MotoGP to date, with 59 wins. In 2013 he became the first rider since Kenny Roberts in 1978 to win the premier class title in his first season, and the youngest to win the title overall, at 20 years and 266 days of age.

Jennie Gow is an English radio and television presenter and journalist. She was the presenter on BBC Sport's coverage of MotoGP motorcycle racing for 2010. She is currently BBC News's F1 Correspondent and reports for BBC News Channel and BBC World News, as well as being BBC Radio 5 Live's F1 presenter and pit lane reporter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 MotoGP World Championship</span> Sports season

The 2012 MotoGP World Championship season was the 64th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Casey Stoner started the season as the defending World Champion, while Honda was the defending Manufacturers' Champion.

Fastest is a documentary film about the Grand Prix motorcycle racing, MotoGP. Filmed between 2010 and 2011 by director Mark Neale, it is narrated by Ewan McGregor and produced by Neale and Paul Taublieb. Fastest was preceded by The Doctor, The Tornado and The Kentucky Kid and will be succeeded by Charge, currently awaiting release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 MotoGP World Championship</span> Sports season

The 2015 FIM MotoGP World Championship was the premier class of the 67th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. The championship was won by Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo, racing for Movistar Yamaha Factory. It was his third and final world title in the MotoGP category, his fifth overall in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The season had 18 races, beginning in Qatar and finishing in Valencia, which determined who would be world champion between Movistar Yamaha teammates Lorenzo and runner-up Valentino Rossi. It was first time since 2006 that the world title was decided on the final race of the season. Lorenzo also had the most pole positions, fastest laps and race wins throughout the season; while Rossi had the most finishes, completing every race throughout the season, while Lorenzo had one race retirement in San Marino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix</span>

The 2015 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix was the seventeenth of eighteen motorcycle races of the 2015 MotoGP season. It was held before a crowd of 88,832 people at the Sepang International Circuit in the Malaysian district of Sepang in Selangor on 25 October 2015. Dani Pedrosa of Honda won the 20-lap race from pole position. Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo finished second and his teammate Valentino Rossi came in third. In the junior classes, Johann Zarco won the Moto2 race on a Kalex bike and KTM's Miguel Oliveira won in Moto3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 European motorcycle Grand Prix</span>

The 2020 European motorcycle Grand Prix was the thirteenth round of the 2020 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season and the twelfth round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship. It was held at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste on 8 November 2020.

References

  1. Gibson, Barry (13 April 2009). "Huddersfield's Matt Roberts now BBC Moto GP star". Huddersfield Examiner. Trinity Mirror. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2022. Thirty-one-year-old Matt began working in MotoGP in 2000 when he netted a job with Dorna, holders of the global MotoGP rights, commentating on their world feed, which was broadcast in Australia, Africa and Asia
  2. 1 2 Mr Matthew Nicholas Roberts Company information at Endole. Retrieved 4 July 2021
  3. Who the hell does Matt Roberts think he is? BikeSport News, 16 April 2019 Retrieved 9 March 2021
  4. Matthew Roberts profile at LinkedIn Retrieved 4 July 2021
  5. 1 2 About us Sixty Seven Sports Retrieved 4 July 2021
  6. Master of Sport Directorship (MSD) Manchester Metropolitan University. Retrieved 4 July 2021
  7. "Your Broadcast Team".
  8. Jennie Gow replaces Suzi Perry in BBC line-up Crash.Net, 17 March 2010
  9. Jennie Gow to present BBC's MotoGP coverage for 2010 BBC Press Office, 17 March 2010
  10. "Matt Roberts will front MotoGP on BBC television". BBC Sport. 8 February 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  11. 1 2 Booth, Mel (14 February 2014). "Huddersfield's Matt Roberts to present Eurosport's coverage of World and British Superbikes". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  12. Exclusive: Lambeth superbike star Shane Byrne on possibility of a racing return – and setting up a company to help bring through sport’s next big things London News online , 29 January 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021
  13. Matt Roberts interview with Valentino Rossi over table football BBC Sport, 12 April 2009