Eugene Laverty · Biography

In 2011 Eugene Laverty moved from the World Supersport Championship to the factory Yamaha team in World Superbike, and in his first season in the class he won two races. Born on 3 June 1986 in Toomebridge, County Antrim, the Northern Irish rider was twice runner-up in World Supersport, finished second in World Superbike in 2013 and spent two seasons in MotoGP before retiring at the end of 2022. His brothers Michael and John Laverty also raced.

Early years in Britain

Laverty came through the British championships. In 2004 he finished second in the British 125cc Championship and made one start in the 125cc World Championship on a Red Bull Rookies Honda, without scoring. He stepped up to British Supersport in 2005 and finished ninth. A year later, on the Red Bull team’s Honda CBR600RR, he won four races and took third in the standings behind Cal Crutchlow and Tom Sykes.

The 250cc years

In 2007 he joined the 250cc World Championship with LCR Honda. He started 17 races, scored 6 points and finished 25th, with 14th place as his best result. In 2008 he stayed in the class on a privateer Blusens Aprilia and ended the year 21st with 8 points. That season he replaced the injured Fabien Foret on the factory Yamaha in World Supersport and finished on the podium, a result that opened the door to the production-based championships.

Two Supersport runner-up finishes

For 2009 he signed with Parkalgar Honda in World Supersport. On 14 March he won at Losail, Qatar, his first victory in the class and the team’s first win. He added three more wins, took eight podiums and finished runner-up on 236 points behind Cal Crutchlow. In 2010 he stayed with the same team, won eight races, took ten podiums and five poles, and was second again on 252 points, 11 behind champion Kenan Sofuoglu. He left Supersport with 12 wins and 19 podiums from 29 starts.

World Superbike with Yamaha and Aprilia

On the Yamaha, with Marco Melandri as team-mate, he won both races at Monza on 8 May 2011 and finished the championship fourth on 303 points. In 2012 he moved to Aprilia Racing alongside Max Biaggi, won at Portimão and placed sixth. The 2013 season, with Sylvain Guintoli as team-mate, was the best of his career: nine wins and 19 podiums, 424 points and second in the world behind Tom Sykes, who won the same number of races. In 2014 he rode the Voltcom Crescent Suzuki, won at Phillip Island and finished tenth.

Two seasons in MotoGP

Laverty reached MotoGP in 2015 with the Aspar team on an Open-class Honda RC213V-RS. His best result was 12th at Catalunya and he finished 22nd with 9 points. In 2016, again with Aspar but on a Ducati Desmosedici GP14.2 and with Yonny Hernández as team-mate, he took fourth place in Argentina, his best premier-class finish, and ended the year 13th on 77 points.

Return to Superbike and retirement

He returned to World Superbike in 2017 on Shaun Muir’s Milwaukee Aprilia RSV4, finishing tenth that year and eighth in 2018, when he scored a pole and two podiums. He lost the seat to Tom Sykes and in 2019 raced a Ducati Panigale V4 for Team GoEleven, placing 15th. In 2020 he rode for the factory BMW team and was 15th again. In 2021 he started the year with the underfunded RC Squadra Corse BMW outfit and finished 19th. In 2022 he raced for Bonovo Action BMW alongside Loris Baz and on 1 August announced he would retire at the end of the season. He crashed in his final race at Phillip Island and suffered a pelvic injury. He left World Superbike with 13 wins.

After racing

In 2023 he stayed at Bonovo as co-owner and rider coach, working with team owner Jurgen Röder and team manager Michael Galinski. He won the Joey Dunlop Memorial Trophy as Irish motorcyclist of the year in 2011 and 2013, and in 2024 he was inducted into the Irish Motorcycling Hall of Fame. In 2025 he moved to the Pata Yamaha team as rider coach.