The GRYD Racing Team has announced that they will make their debut in the ZYN British Superbike Championship next season, signing race winners Glenn Irwin and Storm Stacey to campaign the alpha Racing-prepared BMW M 1000 RR.
The GRYD Racing team, co-owned by Michael Laverty and David Eltherington, will line up in four British classes in 2027 with the Superbike team headlining their programme, which also includes the R&G Moto4 British Cup, Pirelli National Superstock and Pirelli British Sportbike Championships.
Irwin and Stacey are both race winners in the championship and also have previous knowledge of the BMW. Irwin has been a multiple runner-up in the championship in previous seasons, last experiencing the German manufacturer in 2019, whilst Stacey competed on the BMW in the 2025 championship.
Irwin said: “What an exciting time for the entire British Superbike Championship as we move into probably the biggest regulation change that I have ever experienced. 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.
“Having Storm as a teammate? It is no secret that he is an affable character and probably quite like myself in many ways. 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. 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 M 1000 RR and experience the new BSB regulations in due course.
“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. 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!”
Stacey said: “I am excited about next season! 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 M 1000 RR is, so I am excited to get back on it again.”
Michael Laverty, Team co-owner, concluded: “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. 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."
Sebastian Hofmann, General Manager, alpha Racing said: "We are delighted to continue and expand our partnership with GRYD Racing for the 2027 season. Together we have already enjoyed great success this year in the Superstock class and beyond, and we are excited about the opportunity to extend our collaboration into BSB.
“Backed by many years of BMW specific experience as Official Partner of BMW Motorrad Motorsport, we offer everything from performance parts and race support to our bespoke Superbike and Superstock race machines, which continue to win races and championships around the world year after year. We look forward to bringing all this to the team and playing our part in what we hope will be a successful season."