The 56-year-old, who ran the BeerMonster Ducati workforce within the British Superbike Championship, died on Friday.
An announcement issued on behalf of the workforce mentioned: “The Bennetts British Superbike Championship is deeply saddened to announce the sudden passing of Paul Bird, the Team Owner of Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM), the series’ most successful team.“Paul died earlier today at the age of 56 following a short time in hospital with illness.
“Paul’s family are requesting privacy during this time.”
Northern Ireland’s Glenn Irwin at the moment rides for Mr Bird’s workforce and is second within the British Superbike championship standings behind team-mate Tommy Bridewell with three rounds remaining.
Ulsterman Ryan Rainey can also be employed by the workforce as Irwin’s crew chief.
One of essentially the most profitable males in world motorsport, Mr Bird was a former Grand Prix motocross rider and World-ranked rally driver.
He was overseeing his BSB workforce for a twenty seventh consecutive season from his places of work within the Lake District in 2023.
The extremely regarded entrepreneur shaped his personal workforce in 1996 and contested the 250cc British Championship, happening to win the title with John McGuinness in 1999.
In 2000, the workforce made the change to British Superbikes with James Toseland and received their first BSB race in 2001 when an injury-hit Steve Hislop completed because the runner-up within the championship.
The following yr, Scotsman Hislop clinched the workforce’s first BSB title with Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne retaining the crown for Paul Bird Motorsport in 2003.
Mr Bird was additionally a eager supporter of highway racing and backed Joey Dunlop in his closing yr on the Isle of Man TT in 2000, when the Ballymoney rider famously received the Formula One race as a part of a hat-trick, whereas Michael Dunlop rode a Paul Bird Kawasaki on the roads in 2011.
Jeremy McWilliams can also be among the many many high names to have ridden for Bird through the years.
Morecambe man McGuinness received the primary of his 23 TT races in 1999 on a PBM 250 Honda and the workforce has additionally loved six wins on the North West 200 and 4 victories on the Macau Grand Prix.
PBM has additionally scored Grand Prix World Championship factors within the 250cc and 500cc Grand Prix lessons.
The workforce ran Kawasaki’s official World Superbike effort in 2008 and claimed a win with Tom Sykes.
Four years later, PBM switched to the MotoGP premier class to run a PBM Aprilia within the CRT class, with James Ellison sealing a win within the Claiming Rule Team class. Michael Laverty additionally rode the Aprilia because the workforce expanded in 2013 and 2014.
A full-scale return to BSB adopted in 2014 with Byrne topped champion once more. Further titles adopted in 2017 with Byrne, Scott Redding (2019) and Josh Brookes (2020) lifting the silverware to present PBM a report eight British Superbike championships.
