Follow the MotoGP season on the BBC in 2012

One of the most exciting motorsports is back for another season and you can watch every race of the 2012 MotoGP calendar live across the BBC.

All 18 races will be shown on BBC TV - 16 of them will be live on BBC Two and there will be extended highlights of the other three.

Live qualifying coverage of the 2012 MotoGP season, plus the Moto3 and Moto2 races, will all be available to view on the BBC Red Button and BBC online (UK users only). All 18 races will also be shown live on the BBC Sport website (UK users only).

Matt Roberts returns to your screens to present all the 2012 action, and he will once again be joined by seasoned commentators Charlie Cox and Steve Parrish, with Azi Farni bringing all the news and interviews from the pit-lane.

BBC Sport will also show the 2012 MotoGP season in HD for the first time.

BBC's head of MotoGP Ben Gallop said: "We're excited to be able to offer the 2012 MotoGP season to fans in HD, and are looking forward to a very exciting year on the track. We're also really pleased to have the team of Matt, Charlie, Steve and Azi back together again to guide you all through it.

"As in previous years the season-opener in Qatar falls at a busy scheduling point, in prime-time on Sunday evening - so to give the race the full live coverage it deserves the Red Button is the most appropriate available place for us to run it.

"Fans can then see a full re-run that evening on BBC1 and HD."

The majority of the season will be live on BBC2 and HD, with the exception of the race at Assen, which will be live on the Red Button, with a re-run later.

Live MotoGP coverage will feature full pre-race build-ups and analysis, plus a 30-minute MotoGP Extra on the Red Button after the race, bringing immediate reaction from the experts and the riders themselves.

Australian Casey Stoner won the 2011 title and starts as favourite again, although with the bikes increasing in size to 1,000cc this year things could all change.

BBC coverage details (all times BST)

Race 17 - Philip Island, Australia, 28 October: BBC2 04:30-06:00 GMT and BBC Sport website. Repeated BBC2 12:45-1:400 GMT.

Race 18 - Valencia, Spain, 11 November: BBC2 12:30-14:00 and BBC Sport website.