Mike Browne

Despite his relative lack of racing experience, Eire’s Browne has soared up the ranks in the last couple of years and, given the right opportunities, has the potential to go a long way at the TT.

He’s already achieved plenty elsewhere with wins in the Lightweight Manx Grand Prix and many at the Irish National Road Races. 

He first came to notice around the Mountain Course in 2018 when he made his debut at the Manx Grand Prix and although he retired from the Newcomers race, the fact he finished fourth in the feature Senior race more than highlighted his capabilities. He brought that form to the TT the following year when he took two top twenty finishes in the Supersport races along with a best lap in excess of 121mph.

The pandemic halted his progress slightly, but it allowed him to join forces with former racer John Burrows and the highly experienced and professional BE Racing team took Browne to new heights. His TT campaign looked to be over though when he suffered two broken ankles at the Tandragee 100 a month before but, against the odds, he not only competed in all the races he excelled too.

His best result was an excellent ninth in the second Supersport race but, arguably, his best ride came in the Senior when he ran inside the top ten and one place behind John McGuinnes after lapping at more than 126mph. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire on the fifth lap, but it further highlighted his credentials. The Manx Grand Prix showed his versatility too when he won the Lightweight race and took third in the Senior Classic race despite never having sat on either machine before the event.

The upward trajectory continued in 2023 although reliability issues meant not as much as he would have liked. Nevertheless, he recorded his first podium, second in the Supertwin class (retiring from the lead in the second) with more success at the Manx GP. Browne, who works on his cousin’s farm, undoubtedly possesses a raw talent and still has a lot to learn but having achieved so much already, his career, particularly at the TT, is only going to continue moving forwards A lot will depend though on his new team in 2024, having surprisingly left the Burrows Engineering/RK Racing set up.

VIEW FROM OUR RIDER LIAISON OFFICERS

A relative newcomer to the sport, it’s clear Mike has bundles of raw talent. He’s benefitted in the last 18 months from riding for John Burrows’ team and his achievements at TT 2022, when clearly hindered by his injuries, were astounding. We're all looking forward to watching his progress over the forthcoming years.

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