Sunday 9th November 2014
For immediate release
Double Finish Ends PBM MotoGP
Era
The Penrith-based Paul Bird Motorsport team brought down the curtain on their
three-year MotoGP participation with another fitting double finish in today's GP
Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana.
The 18th and final round of the 2014 MotoGP Wold Championship in Spain saw
Ulsterman Michael Laverty claim 19th place with Australian team-mate Broc Parkes
following home inside the top 20 for the only British team in MotoGP.
Former British Supersport Champion Laverty, on the Rapid Solicitors and Silkolenebacked Aprilia ART-powered PBM, and twice runner-up in the World Supersport
Championship Parkes, aboard the Rapid Solicitors and Silkolene-backed PBM, showed
good pace in free practice and qualifying and lined up on row eight of the grid.
With one of the strongest fields of the year assembled, both riders made good starts but
in the early laps, rain started to fall meaning conditions were difficult. The rain eventually
came to nothing but as has been so often the case this year, the attrition rate was so low
as Laverty and Parkes battled up the order.
Laverty made it into the top 20 on lap 22 and climbed to 19th a couple of laps later on
whereby he was followed by Parkes and although Parkes was put a lap in arrears on the
very last lap and crossed the line in 20th, Laverty held on to claim 19th on the same lap
as eventual winner and 2014 World Champion Marc Marquez.
Although disappointed on missing out on points following their recent good run, the PBM
team can be justifiably pleased with their performances which have seen the Cumbrian
team make it 31 finishes out of the 36 races this season for the British-made machine.
Highlights of 2014 include the team's best ever MotoGP result when Laverty finished
12th and Parkes in 14th in Sepang which was the second time this season that the riders
had brought both the British-built PBM machines home in the points, which also
happened in Indianapolis, and added to the team's points scoring rides in Losail, Assen
and Phillip Island.
Both riders finished level on points in the MotoGP World Championship standings in
equal 23rd place and also, both Parkes and Laverty ended up joint tenth in the Open
class standings. Parkes claimed third in Rookie of the Year whilst importantly for the
PBM team, they claimed sixth place in the Constructor's table and 12th in the team's
standings.
Winners of over 150 races in British Superbike Championship, World Superbike
Championship, MotoGP CRT, 125cc, 250cc, Supersport and Superstock British
Championships, Isle of Man TT, North West 200, Daytona, Macau GP, and British
domestic races. Points scorers in 125cc, 250cc and 500cc and MotoGP, as well as in
World Supersport, podium finishers in WSB, Superpole winners in World Superbike,
PBM is one of the most successful motorcycle racing teams in history. For 2015, they will
be increasing their profile as defending champions in the MCE British Superbike
Championship as well as a major campaign at the International Road Races including
the North West 200, Isle of Man TT, Ulster Grand Prix and Macau Grand Prix.
Indeed, the statistics regarding their
three seasons as the only all-British
team in MotoGP certainly stack up
favourably with a finishing rate of
over 77% of races entered during
that time, two of which were with
their own chassis built at the team's
base in the Lake District.
Michael Laverty: "The weather
made it quite a strange race today
as right from the very first lap we
had big drops of rain on our
visors. I had good pace when the track was fully dry, but found it tough when the
track got greasy as my rear tyre had began to cold tear. All in all it's been a good
weekend, I was really happy with the lap time I pulled out in qualifying and we had
a good setting going into the race today. It's a bit emotional today as it's the final
MotoGP for the PBM team, but I'm finishing with a smile on my face, it's been a
great life experience and I feel I'm a stronger rider for it. I'd like to thank all the
guys in the team for a great two years and a special thank you to Paul Bird and
Phil Borley for making it happen."
Broc Parkes: "Although it was disappointing not to score points in the team's final
MotoGP race, I'm pleased we got another finish as conditions were very difficult in
the early stages. My first season in MotoGP has been memorable and I'm proud of
the fact that I scored PBM their best result of the season with 11th at Assen. I'd
like to thank the team, Paul Bird and Phil Borley for this opportunity and wish
them well in the future."
Phil Borley, Technical Director: "We did not quite achieve the results we were
capable of in our last MotoGP race, mainly because both Michael and Broc were
more cautious when it started to rain. It was a pity the rain disrupted their rhythm
as they both had a good pace and would have finished with a smaller gap to the
front if the rain had stayed away. Racing in MotoGP has been a great challenge for
PBM and I believe we have achieved some respectable results considering the
support and resource we have had. I would like to say a big thank you to the guys
in the team for their work this year, as well as all the people who have helped us in
the last three years."
For more information, please visit the team's website www.pbmuk.net and
www.motogp.com
Pictures (courtesy of Gold & Goose) Michael Laverty (70) and Broc Parkes (23)
PBM Stats - MotoGP 2012 to 2014
2012 (James Ellison, Aprilia ART)
Races: 18
Finishes: 14
Crashes: 2
DNFs: 2
Finish Rate: 77.78%
Points Scored: 35
Position: 16
Best Result 9th (Sepang & Valencia)
2013 (Michael Laverty, Yonny Hernandez and Damian Cudlin, Aprilia ART/PBM)
Races: 36
Finishes: 24
Crashes: 6
DNFs: 6
Finish Rate: 66.66%
Points Scored: 10
Position: (Hernandez 18), Laverty 25, Cudlin Best Result: 13th (Laverty in Jerez & Hernandez in Laguna Seca)
2014 (Michael Laverty & Broc Parkes, Aprilia ART/PBM)
Races: 36
Finishes: 31
Crashes: 2
DNFs 3
Finish Rate: 86.11%
Points Scored: 18
Position: (Parkes 23rd, Laverty 24th)
Best Result: 11th (Parkes in Assen)
Overall Stats
Years in MotoGP: 3
Races: 90
Finishes: 69
Finish Rate 77.62%
Points Scored: 63