HERBERTSON SIGNS FOR BURROWS ENGINEERING BY RK RACING
Burrows Engineering by RK Racing have announced that Dominic Herbertson has signed with the team for the 2024 season, and is set to contest every solo class at this year’s Isle of Man TT Races.
Herbertson replaces the outgoing Mike Browne and will ride the team’s BMW M 1000 RR in the RST Superbike, RL360 Superstock and Milwaukee Senior TT Races, as well as a Yamaha YZF-R6 in the two Monster Energy Supersport Races. The team have also confirmed they’ll contest the two Carole Nash Supertwin Races with the popular 32-year-old.
Led by former TT racer John Burrows, the decision to sign an established rider in Herbertson – who lapped at over 130mph average for the first time in 2023 – marks a move away from the team’s position of fielding riders in the earlier stages of their road racing careers, with the likes of Dan Kneen, Jamie Hamilton, Malachi Mitchell-Thomas, Davey Todd and Browne all being brought through the ranks with Burrows’ highly-professional outfit.
John Burrows, Burrows Engineering by RK Racing Team Owner: “When Mike left, the cards were back on the table in terms of what direction to go in. We’ve become known as a team that brings younger riders into road racing, enabling them to find their feet and then, hopefully, move onto bigger and better things. Whilst that’s a nice challenge, it’s also a difficult one, especially with attracting sponsors and the like.”
“It felt as though the time was right to try a different approach and, in Dom, we’ve got an experienced guy with proven ability who we want to help get further up the sharp end. Dom’s ridden for us before, winning the Supersport Race at Tandragee in 2022 in a one-off ride, so we got chatting. He’s done the hard yards in racing, doing a lot of it on his own so he appreciates what he’s got. He knows us and we know him, so things soon fell into place.”
Herbertson, who made his TT debut in 2014, now has twelve top-10 finishes to his name, with nine of those coming in the last two years. Seventh in last year’s opening Supertwin Race is his best result to date, going one better than he did in the 2023 Superbike Race and three races in 2022.
As well as his maiden 130mph lap in 2023, he also set a personal best lap in the Supersport class, breaking through the 125mph barrier for the first time.
The tree surgeon-turned-racer-turned-podcast host had no hesitation in accepting Burrows’ offer:
Dominic Herbertson: "When John picked up the phone and gave me a call, I was only expecting he wanted some trees cutting down. It took some time to sink in that he was offering me a seat in one of the most competitive teams in road racing.”
“I have been in the very fortunate position of working with the team in the past and not only do they have competitive machinery, they also have a perfect balance of professionalism and enjoyment both on and off track.”
“I have so many people to thank for getting me to this point in my racing career and without them I wouldn’t be looking at 2024 becoming an incredibly exciting year for me! I cannot wait to get started and seize this opportunity."
The team will continue to be backed by RK Racing, headed by Manx Businesswoman Charlotte Richardson, and Burrows is quick to acknowledge the part she plays and the importance of having an experienced rider in the team in 2024:
“Charlotte’s heart lies in the TT and whilst I guess I’m the figurehead of the team, it wouldn’t be possible without her input. Having Dom in the team means we’re expecting to be seeded in every class, and that’s so important at the TT in terms of getting out early in qualifying week. You can gain and learn so much by being out on track with the fast boys.”
“We know what we’re getting with Dom, and we know his capabilities at the TT. He’s got a lot of experience with plenty of top-10 finishes, so we’d like to think we can do that again this year as well as getting back into the 130s and hopefully better last year’s speeds. Anything else will be a bonus.”
After pre-season testing in Spain, Herbertson will contest the opening British Supersport Championship round in mid-April whilst they also plan to contest the North West 200 in preparation for the TT, with the Southern 100 Races and selected Irish National Road Races seeing out the remainder of the 2024 season.
