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Paul Bird Motorsport

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Paul Bird Motorsport
2024 nameHager PBM Ducati[1]
BasePenrith, Cumbria, England
PrincipalJordan Bird
Frank Bird Jr.
Rider(s)Glenn Irwin
MotorcycleDucati Panigale V4R F23
TyresPirelli
Riders' ChampionshipsSteve 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

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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]

Championship winning team principal, the late Paul Bird acknowledging the spectators' plaudits at Brands Hatch Showdown podium, end of BSB season 2014

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

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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

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MotoGP team

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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

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(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
United Kingdom 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
Australia Damian Cudlin Ret Ret 21 21 Ret
United Kingdom Michael Laverty 17 16 13 17 17 Ret 22 16 Ret 18 18 19 18
ART GP13 Ret Ret 18 19 17
Colombia 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
Australia Broc Parkes 15 Ret 21 17 18 17 16 11 21 15 19 21 18 18 20 Ret 14 20
United Kingdom Michael Laverty 16 16 18 16 16 16 17 21 Ret 14 Ret 17 17 16 18 13 12 19

References

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  1. ^ PBM Racing Team reveal 2024 Bennetts British Superbike livery and Hager title sponsorship deal Motorcycle News, 4 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024
  2. ^ BSB: PBM Racing Ducati confirm 2024 grid spot with Glenn Irwin Motorcycle News, 6 March 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024
  3. ^ "Rallying". Paul Bird Motorsport. pbmuk Limited. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  4. ^ VisionTrack Ducati Launched In London Retrieved 22 October 2020
  5. ^ "Kawasaki to drop PBM, Sykes for 2012". Crash.net. Crash Media Group. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  6. ^ a b Birt, Matthew (23 March 2012). "James Ellison's 2012 MotoGP livery revealed". Motor Cycle News. Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Easton and Byrne re-united with Bird for 2014 BSB series". Yahoo! Eurosport. TF1 Group. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  8. ^ Stuart Easton wins Macau GP MC News Retrieved 23 April 2015
  9. ^ Hutchinson ready to fight for the TT crown in 2015 Bikesport News, 20 October 2014, Retrieved 23 April 2015
  10. ^ 2015 Supersport TT Race 1 results Retrieved 29 September 2015
  11. ^ 2015 Supersport TT Race 2 results Retrieved 29 September 2015
  12. ^ 2015 Superstock TT race results Retrieved 29 September 2015
  13. ^ "PBM announce Be Wiser, Ducati and Irwin for 2016". Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  14. ^ British Superbike: Paul Bird Motorsport Signs VisionTrack As Title Sponsor roadracingworld.com, 21 December 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2020
  15. ^ BSB: Tom Sykes returns alongside Josh Brookes at MCE Ducati Motorcycle News, 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022
  16. ^ PBM serve Up BeerMonster as new Title Sponsor for 2023 www.ducati.com. Retrieved 28 May 2023
  17. ^ Rally Driver Paul Bird Given Two Year Ban for Cocaine and Diuretics UK Anti-Doping, Retrieved 24 December 2015
  18. ^ Rally driver Paul Bird handed hefty eight-year ban by Ukad after refusing drugs test The Independent, 30 January 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2020
  19. ^ Frank Bird makes switch to Ford-powered MSA Formula PBM News, 19 Feb 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016
  20. ^ Cumbrian racer Frank Bird soars in Asian Le Mans Series at the Dubai Autodrome News and Star, 17 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022
  21. ^ Clean sweep as Frank Bird and Jack Morton win the 2022 rally BrandsHatchStages, 16 January 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022
  22. ^ Frank Bird Heads For Sol Rally Barbados 2022 Carter Sport, 28 January 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022
  23. ^ Birt, Matthew (11 August 2014). "Paul Bird planning BSB super team after quitting MotoGP". Motor Cycle News. Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
  24. ^ Birt, Matthew (11 December 2014). "Paul Bird MotoGP machinery up for sale". Motor Cycle News. Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
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