Paul Bird Motorsport

Motorcycle racing

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

PBM competed in the 2014 British Superbike Championship as a two-rider team with Shane Byrne and Stuart Easton on board Kawasakis. 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. 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.

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. 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, followed by MCE insurance for 2022, changing to BeerMonster from 2023.

Paul Bird

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. 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 was set to run from 11 July 2018 until 2026.

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

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

Paul Bird 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, and with riders Michael Laverty and Broc Parkes in the 2014 MotoGP season before disbanding to concentrate on British Superbikes.

Results

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

British Superbike Championship

BSB Team

Results

Road Racing

[[IOMTT]] Team

Results

References

References

1. [https://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport/british-superbikes/2024/april/hager-pbm-ducati-livery/ PBM Racing Team reveal 2024 Bennetts British Superbike livery and Hager title sponsorship deal] ''[[Motorcycle News]]'', 4 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024
2. [https://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport/british-superbikes/2022/march/tom-sykes-return/ BSB: Tom Sykes returns alongside Josh Brookes at MCE Ducati] ''[[Motorcycle News]]'', 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022
3. [https://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport/british-superbikes/2024/march/pbm-racing-team-glenn-irwin-confirmed/ BSB: PBM Racing Ducati confirm 2024 grid spot with Glenn Irwin] ''[[Motorcycle News]]'', 6 March 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024
4. "Rallying". pbmuk Limited.
5. [https://www.ducati.com/ww/en/news/visiontrack-ducati-launched-in-london VisionTrack Ducati Launched In London] Retrieved 22 October 2020
6. (5 September 2011). "Kawasaki to drop PBM, Sykes for 2012". Crash Media Group.
7. Birt, Matthew. (23 March 2012). "James Ellison's 2012 MotoGP livery revealed". [[Bauer Media Group]].
8. (7 October 2013). "Easton and Byrne re-united with Bird for 2014 BSB series". [[TF1 Group]].
9. [http://www.mcnews.com.au/stuart-easton-sweeps-to-fourth-macau-gp-victory/ Stuart Easton wins Macau GP] MC News Retrieved 23 April 2015
10. [http://www.bikesportnews.com/news/news-detail/Hutchinson-ready-to-fight-for-the-TT-crown-in-2015 Hutchinson ready to fight for the TT crown in 2015] Bikesport News, 20 October 2014, Retrieved 23 April 2015
11. [http://www.iomtt.com/TT-Database/Events/Races.aspx?meet_code=TT2015&race_seq=3 2015 Supersport TT Race 1 results] Retrieved 29 September 2015
12. [http://www.iomtt.com/TT-Database/Events/Races.aspx?meet_code=TT2015&race_seq=6 2015 Supersport TT Race 2 results] Retrieved 29 September 2015
13. [http://www.iomtt.com/TT-Database/Events/Races.aspx?meet_code=TT2015&race_seq=4 2015 Superstock TT race results] Retrieved 29 September 2015
14. "PBM announce Be Wiser, Ducati and Irwin for 2016".
15. [https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/british-superbike-paul-bird-motorsport-signs-visiontrack-as-title-sponsor-for-2020/ British Superbike: Paul Bird Motorsport Signs VisionTrack As Title Sponsor] roadracingworld.com, 21 December 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2020
16. [https://www.ducati.com/gb/en/news/pbm-serve-up-beermonster-as-2023-title-sponsor PBM serve Up BeerMonster as new Title Sponsor for 2023] www.ducati.com. Retrieved 28 May 2023
17. (24 December 2015). "Rally Driver Paul Bird Given Two Year Ban for Cocaine and Diuretics". [[UK Anti-Doping]].
18. Ostlere, Lawrence. (30 January 2019). "Rally driver Paul Bird handed hefty eight-year ban by Ukad after refusing drugs test". The Independent.
19. [http://www.pbmuk.net/news/frank-bird-makes-switch-to-ford-powered-msa-formula Frank Bird makes switch to Ford-powered MSA Formula] PBM News, 19 Feb 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016
20. [https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/sport/19928270.cumbrian-racer-frank-bird-soars-asian-le-mans-series-dubai-autodrome/ 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. [https://brandshatchstages.co.uk/node/38 Clean sweep as Frank Bird and Jack Morton win the 2022 rally] BrandsHatchStages, 16 January 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022
22. [https://www.cartersport.com/frank-bird-heads-for-sol-rally-barbados-2022/ Frank Bird Heads For Sol Rally Barbados 2022] Carter Sport, 28 January 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022
23. Duncan, Lewis. (1 September 2023). "Ex-MotoGP and BSB champion team owner Paul Bird dies aged 56". Autosport.
24. Birt, Matthew. (11 August 2014). "Paul Bird planning BSB super team after quitting MotoGP". [[Bauer Media Group]].
25. Birt, Matthew. (11 December 2014). "Paul Bird MotoGP machinery up for sale". [[Bauer Media Group]].