PBM bid fond farewell to MotoGP

Penrith-based racing team Paul Bird Motorsport will race their last Grand prix in this Sunday’s end-of-series MotoGP race at Valencia. Following three years of moderate success in the premier class of motorcycle racing the team, which is comprised of former British Supersport Champion Michael Laverty and Australian Broc Parkes, will be retiring in order to focus their efforts on BSB.

Despite the 2014 season having seen the teams’ best ever results with point finishes for both riders at Indianapolis and Sepang,  team owner Paul Bird has decided to call an end to their MotoGP project, which saw the team design, build and race their own Grand prix bike, a move originally dismissed as ‘mad’ by fellow teams.

PBM are hailed as one of the most successful motorcycle racing teams in history, with over 150 wins in 12 different classes and numerous podiums and points scored in 9 others, including the 2014 MCE British Superbike title with Shane Byrne. In the three years they have raced in MotoGP, they have finished 75% of their races, and half of the DNFs were due to crashes.

Laverty and Parkes, onboard the Rapid Solicitors and Silkolene-backed Aprilia-powered PBM machine, are currently level on points in the championship standings, so both are hoping for a good result at this weekend’s race

Bird will be travelling to the Valencia circuit to thank his team at their final race. He will then travel to China in time for the Macau Grand Prix.  

He commented: “The team has done a wonderful job which has been very difficult at times, led by Phil Borley. He has been with us for 14 years now and was instrumental in achieving our dream so I’d like to pay special tribute to him at this time. Who knows what we might do in future but I’d like to say thanks to Dorna and IRTA for their help over the past three years and it just goes to show what you can do if you really want to achieve something.”