The Paul Bird Motorsport squad will be out in force at this weekend's Hertz British Grand Prix where all three riders will be chasing success at Silverstone.

PBM UK MotoGP rider James Ellison goes into his home round full of confidence following a string of recent good performances aboard the Claiming Rules Team (CRT) specification Aprilia ART which included finishing in the points as top CRT bike at the French Grand Prix last month.

The 31 year old from Kendal will have plenty of support at Britain's only round of the MotoGP World Championship and with an unsettled weather forecast ahead, Ellison knows that any damp conditions may favour him, just as they did at Le Mans.

Following on from team owner Paul Bird's win at Rally Barbados last weekend, the Penrith-based team is also looking to add to that success in the two Silverstone 200 support races which will see regular MCE British Superbike riders Shane Byrne and Stuart Easton in action aboard the Rapid Solicitors Kawasakis.

James Ellison:

"Going into my home round and I am proper excited. We are coming off the back of two really strong races and are improving each time we ride the Aprilia so my confidence is really high right now. We have had so much positive support from the fans worldwide and especially in the UK so I'm looking forward to meeting the home crowd at The Day of Champions on Thursday and having my friends and family cheering on the sidelines. I also have my new Ellison clothing range being released there at the Real Race Gear stall so hope to see a few people literally flying the flag. The weather looks like it could be a bit damp over the weekend but that should only make it more interesting but hopefully the fans will still come out in force and we really need their support."

Paul Bird, Team Owner:

"I'm flying back from Barbados earlier than I would normally do straight to Silverstone as the British Grand Prix is very important to the team and we need to continue the recent good results which James has achieved. We have made a lot of progress over the past couple of rounds so we should be more competitive at Silverstone whether it's wet or dry. Because it's an historic first home GP for us, we wanted to make an impression so Shakey and Stuart will be out in action too and I'm expecting them to add to the silverware I'm bringing home with me!"

MotoGP qualifying takes place at 13.55 on Saturday with Sunday's 20 lap race scheduled for 13.00. Saturday's Silverstone 200 race takes place over 16 laps at 18.05 with Sunday's similar race starting at 17.00.

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