Laverty busy across many motorcycle racing fronts
· Yahoo Sports
Michael Laverty jokes that he has "often considered myself one of the busiest men in motorcycle racing," but the truth is he might be right.
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Across team ownership, talent development, television work and a growing clothing brand, the former MotoGP rider is operating at a pace few in the sport can match.
Laverty now fronts GRYD Racing, the umbrella organisation he has built from the top down.
The team fields entries in Moto4, Sportbike, Superstock, JuniorGP Moto3 and Moto4 and now, through a landmark deal, GRYD is taking over TAS Racing - the Northern Ireland outfit he once rode for.
TAS Racing has competed on British short circuits and at the major international road races under the direction of father and son Hector and Philip Neill for the past two-and-a-half decades.
"Philip Neill and I started talking a few years ago," Laverty told the BBC Bikes Podcast.
"Now he's ready to take a step back and we're ready to really push in British Superbikes."
The takeover means GRYD will soon have a footprint in almost every major class.
"We've just got two teams left," explains Laverty, a former British Supersport Champion.
"Moto2 and World Superbike - and then we've got all the rungs in the ladder. It's a lofty target, but if we can get there, it would be a dream."
Laverty's clothing brand is also part of the model. "Every sale is a penny that goes into funding the team," he says. "If a sponsor isn't there, we can use our own brand."
Alongside all that sits his MotoGP broadcasting schedule. "I love it," he smiles.
"It feels like a holiday from the team side…it's probably the only thing I actually get paid for these days. We all travel together, we have fun and socially it's good."
Balancing home life remains a priority. "When I'm home, I'm there, I'm engaged," he says.
"Monday to Wednesday is my time with the kids."
For a man shaping the sport on multiple fronts, the busiest man in bikes might be underselling it.