Former MotoGP team boss Paul Bird has died following a short illness, the Englishman passing away at only 56 years old. The Cumbrian chicken farmer has been a hugely significant force in British racing for the past 25 years, with many of the country’s top stars racing for him at some point in the past quarter decade in MotoGP, World and British Superbikes, and at the Isle of Man TT. A former world championship motocross racer in his youth, Paul started sponsoring local racers in the 1990s, with his first success coming with future TT legend John McGuinness when the pair lifted the 1999 250cc British title together, setting up a partnership that would continue on and off for the next 20 years. Bird’s team tasted success at the North West 200, Macau Grand Prix, and Daytona 200, and in road racing with the most successful TT racer ever – Joey Dunlop, who won his last-ever Superbike TT for Bird in 2000. Since Bird expanded into British Superbikes that same year, the list of racers who have competed and won with Paul Bird Motorsport is a veritable who’s who of British motorcycle talent. Names like James Toseland, Sean Emmett, Michael […]