Browne and Burrows junior set for busy season

MIKE Browne will spearhead Burrows Racing/RK Racing’s road racing season in 2022, while Jack Burrows, the son of team principal, John, will make his Moto3 debut during the Ulster short circuit campaign.

Promising Cork rider, Browne will be the team’s sole representative between the hedges next season, when he is also set to make his debut at the North West 200 prior to the Isle of Man TT.

A full calendar is in place for next year, including a return to racing in the Republic of Ireland for the first time since 2019, and the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Team will provide Browne – a Superbike winner at the Cookstown 100 in September – with top-class Yamaha YZF-R6 and Suzuki GSX-R1000 machinery, in addition to a Moto3 250 Honda.

“We’re focused on making sure Mike has the best opportunity possible going to each and every race: he’s happy within the team and we are happy with him, so it’s a productive environment and we’re all looking forward to next year,” Burrows explained.

“I felt he really raised his game and he was rewarded with a good win on the Suzuki GSX-R1000 this year at the Cookstown 100, which was very impressive considering that Mike had never rode a big bike before prior to joining the team in 2020.

“We’re going into 2022 with strong foundation for Mike and I fully believe in his ability to do a good job.

” I don’t have any expectations or goals set out for him, but I do believe he will achieve good things for us at the national and major road races.”

Team owner Burrows’ 11-year-old son Jack will also be a prominent member of the team in 2022 as he makes the step up to the Ulster short circuits on a Moto3 after cutting his teeth on two wheels this year in the Irish Minibike Championship.

Jack will continue to race in the thriving IMC series next year as he builds his racing knowledge and experience, with the ultimate aim of joining the prestigious British Talent Cup grid in 2024 – a move put on hold for the next two years following the introduction of a new minimum age rule.

“My son Jack will also be a big part of the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing Team next year,” John added.

“I had actually considered running Jack in the British Talent Cup in 2022 but a change to the rules with regards to the minimum age means we will have to wait for another two years.

“With that in mind, we are now going to run Jack on a Moto3 machine at the Ulster short circuit meetings at Bishopscourt and Kirkistown, but we will also concentrate on the Irish Minibike Championship and a few rounds of the British Minibike Championship as well.

“My plan for Jack is to get him as much track time as possible on the short circuits here over the next two years before making the switch to the British Talent Cup in 2024.”

And Cookstown High School pupil, Jack is looking forward to the season ahead on his new mount.
“I’m super excited to be joining the senior part of the team,” he beamed.

“From I can remember I’ve been around the paddock but we had a number of years in kart racing first which was very enjoyable. I was lucky to have won a number of championships including the Irish Kart GP in 2020 before my switch to bikes.

“I really enjoyed my first season at IMC on the 140 Bucci, but now I can’t wait to get going on the Moto 3.”
Burrows racing will again be supported by Charlotte Richardson of RK Racing, and John was keen to pay tribute to her continued sponsorship.

“Charlotte has been fantastic for our progress as a team, we speak on a weekly basis, she has a great passion for this sport and we have a great relationship,” he added.

“I cannot thank her enough for what she has done for us over these last number of years. Put simply, if it wasn’t for Charlotte we wouldn’t be able to operate on the scale that we do.

“We have numerous other sponsors on board as well who understand the challenges we have faced because of Covid-19, with so few opportunities to go racing. They have stood by us and we are very grateful to them for their ongoing support.”