Glenn Irwin says he will “thrive” on the opportunity to spearhead the GRYD Racing Team alongside Storm Stacey on alpha Racing BMW M1000RR machinery in the 2027 British Superbike Championship.

The team is co-owned by former British Supersport champion Michael Laverty and David Eltherington, who joined forces with Stacey earlier this year in a successful association at the North West 200.

Stacey rode the GRYD by alpha Racing BMW to victory in the Superstock and headline Superbike races on a sensational debut at the famous road race in May.

The deal raises the prospect of Carrickfergus man Irwin – the most successful Superbike rider in history at the NW200 with 12 wins – and Stacey forming a formidable dream team for the North Coast meeting next year, which runs from May 11-15.

placeholder image — Glenn Irwin (Nitrous Competitions Racing Ducati) leads Storm Stacey (GRYD Racing BMW) at the North West 200 in May. (Photo by David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press)

However, their main focus will be centred on the British Superbike Championship, which confirmed plans to introduce new Balance of Performance (BoP) regulations from 2027, aimed at addressing the increasing performance differences between different machines, mirroring the principles governing the Supersport Next Generation and Sportbike categories.

Irwin, a two-time BSB title runner-up, will be looking to turn his fortunes around next season after a difficult year on the Nitrous Competitions Racing Ducati V4R.

The 36-year-old has only claimed one podium result in 2026 and was 14th in the championship standings before Sunday’s final two races of the campaign at Brands Hatch.

However, this new challenge presents a clean slate for Irwin in 2027, who will be determined to become a regular BSB podium contender once again.

“What an exciting time for the entire British Superbike Championship as we move into probably the biggest regulation change that I have ever experienced,” said Irwin.

“To step into this new era along with a team full of experience headed up by Michael Laverty, who is someone who I have a huge amount of respect for, as a rider in his career and a person, is incredible.

“The GRYD Racing team has continued to grow in such a short space of time, giving opportunities to many young riders and that is commendable.

“The entire project is really exciting, we will push each other, work hard together and we have a lot of respect for each other.

“The whole project has a big team feeling to it and that is something that I feel I will thrive on. For now, we are looking forwards and I can’t wait to throw my leg over the BMW M1000RR and experience the new BSB regulations in due course,” he added.

“I would like to thank Dave, Michael and Nathan from GRYD Racing for giving me this opportunity to join forces with the BMW project, supported by alpha Racing. The support and technical development from them is something that really excited me.”

Irwin is also relishing the prospect of having Stacey as his team-mate and feels they both share similar character traits. “Having Storm as a teammate? It is no secret that he is an affable character and probably quite like myself in many ways,” he said.

“I have been in situations in the past where you are the experienced rider in the team, like in Supersport, and as much as Storm has the capabilities to win races along with myself, I will be happy to pass my experience to him and likewise extract from him as well.

“I feel the team is going to be extremely strong on a team level, a technical level and on a manufacturer level, so roll on 2027 with GRYD Racing.”

English rider Stacey will be making the switch from Michael Rutter’s AJN Bathams Ducati team to the BMW and says he will rise up to the challenge.

“I am excited about next season,” Stacey said. “I love change and I thrive off change.

“The GRYD Racing team is a big team with big ambitions and commitment and I believe alpha Racing will also make this a really strong package.

“I have worked with the team already, and I have experience with the BMW and I really love working with them as a manufacturer.

“To have Glenn as a teammate too is going to be really interesting. He is someone who I speak to and have asked advice from in the past, and I think we can definitely learn from each other – he can pick things up from me, and I can pick things up from him definitely, as he has more experience than me.

“I feel that with the changes in the technical rules next year everyone needs to hunker down and get on with the work as we don’t know what to expect in 2027 yet. I think that will make it really close, but we know how great the standard BMW M1000RR is, so I am excited to get back on it again.”

Team co-owner Laverty, also a former BSB and MotoGP rider who is now a leading MotoGP pundit, believes he has the perfect mix of youth and experience for 2027.

“It’s great to be able to confirm our line-up for the 2027 BSB season for GRYD Racing and our new partnership with BMW Motorrad and technical support from alpha Racing,” he said.

“To be able to get two exciting riders like Storm and Glenn onboard the alpha Racing bespoke built BMW, with their previous successes and potential for the future, is a nice mix of youth and experience together inside the garage.

“I think it’s a great line-up, a great technical pairing with alpha Racing behind us, who we won the Superstock championship together with Ilya Mikhalchik.

“We’ve grown our Superstock operation to two riders this year with Simon Reid and Lewis Rollo and now to grow that side of our GRYD Racing to a Superbike team alongside our Superstock line-up.

“As GRYD Racing we are excited to make our BSB debut next season and great for myself and David to put this all together at an exciting time in the championship.

“We have two exciting riders and our loyal partners and we are looking forward to continuing to expand and grow our team.”