Glenn Irwin: Northern Ireland Rider Backs Himself to Bounce Back After 'Hard' Year

Glenn Irwin, a motorcycle racer from Northern Ireland, says he is ready to fight his way back to the top of the British Superbike Championship. After a difficult 2026 season, Irwin is joining a brand-new team for 2027. The team is backed by former racer Michael Laverty and will use a powerful BMW motorcycle. Irwin believes this fresh start is exactly what he needs to get back to winning races.

Irwin, who is 36 years old, will ride a BMW M 1000 RR for the GRYD Racing team. The team is co-owned by Michael Laverty and David Eltherington. The bike will be prepared by Alpha Racing, a well-known group that works with BMW motorcycles. His teammate will be a young English rider named Storm Stacey.

The 2026 season was a tough one for Irwin. He dealt with injuries, crashes, and problems with his Ducati motorcycle. He said the bike, called the Panigale V4R, was hard to get along with, and those issues hurt his chances of winning the title. He finished 14th in the championship standings, which was far below what he had hoped for.

Even so, Irwin showed some bright moments during the year. He earned a podium finish at Knockhill and had success at the famous North West 200 race. Still, he admitted that doubts crept into his mind during the long, frustrating campaign. "There were moments when doubts came in, because that's natural as a sports person," he said on the BBC Bikes podcast.

Irwin also had worries about his future in the sport. After such a hard year, he was not sure if the right racing opportunity would come along for 2027. But once he heard about Michael Laverty's new team, he quickly decided it was the chance he had been waiting for. He said the move felt like the fresh start he needed to get back on track.

The North West 200 road race played a big role in Irwin's decision to join the team. The event is very important to him, and he wanted a motorcycle that could compete well there, as well as in British Superbikes. BMW has a strong history at the North West 200 circuit, and Stacey had also impressed there. Those facts made the move to the new team even more attractive to Irwin.

Irwin is excited about his new partnership with Stacey. He said, "Storm's a great team-mate. I'm looking forward to taking from him and also passing on to him." This shows that Irwin wants to both learn from his younger teammate and share his own experience. He has twice finished second in the British Superbike Championship, including losing the title by just half a point in 2023.

Irwin knows the road ahead will not be easy. Younger riders are always pushing hard and trying to take top spots away from more experienced competitors. But Irwin pointed to veteran riders like Leon Haslam and Tommy Bridewell as proof that older racers can keep getting better. He said, "You can continue to get better in this sport. If you want to stay in it, you have to." With a new team, a new bike, and a determined attitude, Irwin is ready to prove he still belongs at the front of the pack.