PBM boss credits Glenn Irwin: “People thought we couldn’t do it without Dad”

"Dad would be both impressed and proud to see where we are"

01 Oct 2024

Jordan Bird insists “people thought we couldn’t do it” after her father’s death.

Paul Bird, the team owner who had won races in the British Superbike Championship and the Isle of Man TT, died a year ago aged 56.

Paul Bird Motorsport is now run by his daughter Jordan and son Frank.

They saw Glenn Irwin catapult himself into BSB championship contention with a brilliant weekend at Donington Park.

Irwin enjoyed a victory, a podium and a fourth-place meaning he will contest the 2024 title with Kyle Ryde and Tommy Bridewell at the final round at Brands Hatch.

Irwin is third in the standings, 46 points behind championship leader Ryde.

“It’s been a solid weekend, and we were hoping to go into the final round less than 50 points off the championship so to achieve that is mission accomplished,” team co-owner Jordan Bird said.

“With 105 points available at Brands, it’s still all to play for and it’s BSB where, as we know, anything can happen.

“Glenn’s still very much in the mix and in the form of his life so to be in title contention going into the final round is something we can all be proud of.

“This time last year there was a lot of uncertainty around the team and people thought we couldn’t do it without Dad at the helm, but it shows how strong a team we are.

“I think Dad would be both impressed and proud to see where we are and what we’ve done this year.”

Irwin said: “It’s been a really enjoyable weekend, and we haven’t lost any ground in the title race so we can be pleased with our results across the three races, especially the victory in the Sprint race.

“When you win a race like that, you want to follow it up with something similar, but the conditions suited our bike best in that race, rather than the final race when it was a lot cooler.

“I was having to use the tyre a lot to stay with Kyle, but eventually, I had to ease the pace but to come away with first, third and fourth means it was a good weekend.

“I’ve got an open mindset about the final round so we’ll re-focus and go again.

“To be in with a shout ahead of the final round is great and hats off to Jordan and Frank for the team they’ve put together, the work and effort is non-stop.”