MICHAEL LAVERTY: Racing Royalty

The Lavertys are like the best possible throwback: a no-nonsense, properly old-school bike racing dynasty. With self-confessed road racing nut Mickey Laverty for a father, it was almost inevitable that at least one of his kids would follow in his footsteps. It’s natural for any dad to want their kids to surpass their own achievements, and with brothers Michael, John and Eugene having been an ever-present fixture in pretty much every major paddock around the world for the last 20 years or so, Mickey can be justifiably proud of himself and his boys.

We last caught up Michael in 2017 when he was racing in the British Superbike Championship for McAMS Yamaha. It’s safe to say that a hell of a lot has happened since then. He’s had had an amazing career, spanning AMA, BSB, World Superbikes and MotoGP, and now he’s rapidly becoming known to a new generation as that man off the telly – talking all things technical when it comes to MotoGP for BT Sport’s flagship coverage. The Great British Public can be a funny old lot at times, particularly when it comes to sports commentators and so-called experts. They definitely know what they hate, and they’re never afraid to show it... so maybe it’s down to Michael’s incredible depth of technical knowledge, combined with a natural ability to translate what’s basically a highly technical foreign language into something even the greenest of laymen can get their head around, that you’ll struggle to find anyone with a bad word to say