Paul Bird Motorsport

Paul Bird Motorsport

2024 name	Hager PBM Ducati[1]
Base	Penrith, Cumbria, England
Principal	Jordan Bird, Frank Bird, Jr.
Rider(s)	Glenn Irwin
Motorcycle	Ducati Panigale V4R F23
Tyres	Pirelli
Riders' Championships	Steve Hislop 2002 Shane Byrne x5 Scott Redding 2019 Josh Brookes 2020 Tommy Bridewell 2023 British Superbike 2002 British Superbike 2003 British Superbike 2012 British Superbike 2014 British Superbike 2016 British Superbike 2017 British Superbike 2019 British Superbike 2020 British Superbike 2023

Paul Bird Motorsport are a British motorcycle road racing, car racing and rallying organisation. From 2024, following owner Paul Bird's death in 2023, the motorcycle road racing operation was renamed Paul Bird Racing with Glenn Irwin as sole rider in British Superbike class.^[2] Paul Bird had competed as a rally driver and a solo-rider in motocross. His son Frank is a car racer.^[3]

Motorcycle racing

The team competes in the British Superbike Championship, using Ducati machinery from 2016, based on the 1199 Panigale R,^[4] followed by Ducati Panigale V4, a change of manufacturer from Kawasaki. They managed the Kawasaki World Superbike team until 2011,^[5] and competed in MotoGP from the 2012 season.^[6]

PBM competed in the 2014 British Superbike Championship as a two-rider team with Shane Byrne and Stuart Easton on board Kawasakis.^[7] Also in 2014 Ian Hutchinson joined Paul Bird Motorsport for a few rounds of Pirelli National Superstock 1000 competition on the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki team, after which he again competed in the Macau road GP on Shane Byrne's superbike, but without his previous year's success, overshooting a corner and retiring after a low-speed fall.^[8] The race was won by PBM rider Stuart Easton.

For 2015 Hutchinson competed in selected BSB rounds and Paul Bird's first foray into racing on closed public roads in UK, involving the North West 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix in Northern Ireland and also in the Isle of Man TT races, where he won three TT races and a TT Championship.^{[9][10][11][12]}

On 16 October 2015 Paul Bird Motorsport announced a sponsorship arrangement with Be Wiser Insurance and that the 2016 BSB team would be four-time BSB champion Shane Byrne and Glenn Irwin, riding Ducati Panigale Rs.^[13] This sponsorship continued until the end of 2019 season. For 2020 and 2021, the team arranged a new title sponsor by Kent-based Video Telematics business VisionTrack,^[14] followed by MCE insurance for 2022,^[15] changing to BeerMonster from 2023.^[16]

Personal life

In December 2015, Paul Bird received a ban from organised sport competitions until July 2017 administered by UKAD, the UK Anti-Doping agency, after failing a standard test for banned substances. He tested positive for cocaine after driving in a car rally event in July 2015.^[17] This was followed by an eight-year ban imposed in 2019 by UKAD, for refusing a drugs-test following a Welsh rally event in April 2018. The ban will run from 11 July 2018 until 2026.^[18]

Bird's son Frank drove in Ford MSA Formula for Fortec Motorsport in 2016, after the 2015 season in Ginetta Junior Championship.^[19]

For 2022, Frank Bird competed in Asian Le Mans Series,^[20] having participated in some rally car driving during the winter,^[21] and intends to enter the Sol Rally Barbados in June 2022, twice won by Paul Bird.^[22]

Paul died on 1 September 2023 after a short illness aged 56.

MotoGP

MotoGP team

PBM competed in the 2012 MotoGP season with an ART-Aprilia bike entered to CRT regulations ridden by James Ellison,^[6] and with riders Michael Laverty and Broc Parkes in the 2014 MotoGP season before disbanding to concentrate on British Superbikes.^[23][24]

Results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Bike	Tyres	Riders	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Points	Pos.
2012	ART GP12	B		QAT	ESP	POR	FRA	CAT	GBR	NED	GER	ITA	USA	IND	CZE	SMR	ARA	JPN	MAL	AUS	VAL	35	11th
			James Ellison	18	Ret	Ret	11	16	14	14	15	14	Ret	15	15	13	14	14	9	Ret	9
2013	PBM 01	B		QAT	AME	ESP	FRA	ITA	CAT	NED	GER	USA	IND	CZE	GBR	SMR	ARA	MAL	AUS	JPN	VAL	10	12th
			Damian Cudlin														Ret	Ret	21	21	Ret
			Michael Laverty	17	16	13	17	17	Ret	22	16	Ret	18	18	19	18
	ART GP13																Ret	Ret	18	19	17
			Yonny Hernández	14	15	Ret	Ret	16	13	19	Ret	15	Ret	16	20	Ret
2014	PBM	B		QAT	AME	ARG	ESP	FRA	ITA	CAT	NED	GER	IND	CZE	GBR	SMR	ARA	JPN	AUS	MAL	VAL	18	12th
			Broc Parkes	15	Ret	21	17	18	17	16	11	21	15	19	21	18	18	20	Ret	14	20
			Michael Laverty	16	16	18	16	16	16	17	21	Ret	14	Ret	17	17	16	18	13	12	19

References

External links

• Official website
• Profile on MotoGP.com

This page was last edited on 5 April 2024, at 02:55