Former top motocross racer Paul Bird died today following a short time in hospital with illness. He was just 56 years old.

The Cumbrian started racing motocross as a youth and contested British championships and some GPs. But he found more success as a team manager of Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM), the most successful team ever in British Superbikes. His team won Isle of Man TT races and also contested the MotoGP series.

One of his successes was running ex-motocross racer Scott Redding on his superbike team, taking the victory on a Ducati. The team currently leads the British Superbike series with Tommy Bridewell and Glenn Irwin, brother of ex-British MX champ Graeme, first and second.

Paul also ran off-road teams including David Knight on a Kawasaki. Bird won Supermoto titles on a Honda CR500 and was a top rally driver himself.

Our sincere sympathies go to Paul’s family and close friends in the race paddocks of the world. Paul’s family are requesting privacy during this time.