There will be a new management structure at the Bonovo Action BMW squad from the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship onwards as current rider Eugene Laverty makes the transition from rider to co-owner of the BMW satellite team. The squad will also be able to benefit from Laverty’s vast experience as a rider as he takes on a rider coach role for Bonovo Action BMW.

Laverty joined the BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team for the 2020 season and remained there for two seasons, before joining RC Squadra Corse for 2021, running BMW machinery, with the 2021 season proving to be a difficult campaign for both rider and team. During that 2021 season, Laverty also raced for the factory team as a replacement rider for the injured Tom Sykes before he secured a full-time return to the Championship in 2022 with Bonovo Action BMW, alongside Loris Baz.

The Irishman’s WorldSBK career started in 2011, after three seasons in WorldSSP, and he has secured 35 podiums and 13 wins in his 238-race career prior to Race 1 at the Autodrom Most. His last podium came at Misano in 2018 when he finished third in Race 1 on Aprilia machinery, while his last win was at Phillip Island in Race 1 in 2014, on Suzuki machinery. He also has four pole positions to his name, including one for BMW when he led teammate Sykes in a 1-2 in tricky wet conditions.

For the 2023 season onwards, Laverty will have an off-track role with his current team as he will join the management of Bonovo Action BMW as a co-owner, providing Team Owner Jurgen Roder and Team Manager Michael Galinski with support with the management of the team. He will also take on the role of rider coach for the Bonovo Action BMW squad, allowing the team’s riders to benefit from his experience of riding in WorldSSP, WorldSBK, the 250cc World Championship and MotoGP™.

Discussing the next stage of his career, Laverty said: “Jurgen Roder and Michael Galinski made this proposal to me and I really appreciate that they believe I can fulfill this role. I wanted to finish in a strong way with some decent results, but obviously after the last rounds I had to change my thinking a little bit, as I’m having some difficulties. I really enjoy being part of this team though, as it’s probably the best team I’ve ever ridden in during my career. And opportunities like this don’t come along very often. Jurgen has been looking for some fresh blood to entrust with the future of the team, but also someone with experience. This will be a completely different path of my career. It’s going to be a very interesting new challenge for me, and I’ll have a lot to learn from Jurgen and Michael. At the same time, I want to say thank you to BMW Motorrad Motorsport for their faith in the past three years. We will stay closely related through my new role also in the future.”

“It is great that Eugene will remain a part of the BMW WorldSBK family in his new role in the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team,” said BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Marc Bongers. “We want to say a big thank you for the great commitment and professionalism he has been bringing into our project since he joined as a works rider in 2020. This is something very special, particularly as he kept his commitment also when times have been not so easy. We all will work hard in his remaining races as a BMW Motorrad works rider to finish the season well together.”

Team Owner Roder added: “There will be a number of changes at Bonovo action BMW Racing in 2023. Eugene will also be entrusted with other tasks next year, he will stay with the team and join the ownership structure, will work as a riding coach, will acquire sponsors together with me and also create new structures with me in relation to sustainability, that we strive for. We are very pleased that Eugene has accepted the offer we made him as we believe he is perfectly qualified to perform precisely this role and even if Michael and I should retire due to age, he can continue to do so as required. So I am delighted that everything is working out like this.”

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