After finishing as runner-up in the 2023 BSB championship by one point, Glenn Irwin has re-signed with the Paul Bird Motorsport Ducati team for the upcoming 2024 British Superbike Championship.
Having re-signed for 2024, Irwin will enter his fourth season with PBM and his second with the Ducati Panigale V4 R. He will do so having finished second to Tommy Bridewell, his 2023 teammate at PBM, last year. While Irwin has renewed with PBM, Bridewell has moved to Honda Racing UK for 2024.
Image credit: Paul Bird Motorsport.
Glenn Irwin: “For the people reading this it must be a relief as I have been inundated with messages from fans asking me about what I am doing this season, which has been really nice, and I am so grateful for their support.
“It might sound like a cliché, but there was never really anywhere else I wanted to be, despite interest from elsewhere when there was some uncertainty, my heart and attention was always to remain with PBM.
“To touch on last year, we had an amazing season working together, and after four years apart we came back together, and I think in that time I have grown up and matured. The team went through a lot last year, but it was also an amazing year, and the championship was one of the most exciting in history and I am extremely grateful to have been a part of that. It didn’t work out in my favour as such, but it doesn’t take any of the sweetness away from it because we had great success.
“I believe and fully expect myself to be fighting for the championship from the off, but we also have to understand some changes and we will have to adapt. It certainly isn’t just a case of roll the dice like last year, we have a lot of work to do, and I think it is important that we are not complacent. We do our work, and then I think we can certainly be in for a lot of race wins and success ahead.
“I started my Superbike career with PBM and as much as it is a new era with Jordan and Frank as my bosses now, I will never separate the first part of the PBM chapter to this one. I had my first pole position, first podium and first win with the team, but there are a few things I want to achieve. First off, it is to win the British Superbike Championship and secondly to retain it, they are the two things I want to achieve with PBM.”
The PBM team affirmatively enters a new era in 2024, following the death of its founder and owner Paul Bird last year. Since Bird’s passing, the ownership and management of the team has been handed over to his children, Jordan Bird and Frank Bird Junior, the latter of whom also has his own career in GT3 car racing. Uncertainty has surrounded the team’s future in the months since the conclusion of the 2023 championship, but re-signing Irwin confirms the team’s place on the 2024 grid.
On PBM’s renewal with Irwin, Jordan Bird Frank Bird Junior said: “We are delighted to confirm that the PBM team will be back on the grid this season. It has obviously been a real emotional rollercoaster for us, and we are so proud of what the whole team achieved last year, ending the season on a high with a one-two in the standings.
“The PBM team remains fully committed to the championship and after a lot of uncertainty over the last few months we are delighted that Glenn returns as we begin the next chapter for PBM. He has a long-standing history with the team – from making his Superbike debut, to a first podium and his first race win in the championship. We hope that together we can add a Championship title to that this season! We want to take this opportunity to thank our partners and fans for their continued support and we are now looking forward to the future of PBM and keeping Dad’s memory alive.”
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Lead image credit: British Superbike Championship.
