EXCLUSIVE: IOMTT KTS switch “made sense” for Mike Browne - Michael Laverty

MLav Racing owner Michael Laverty says that Mike Browne’s move to KTS Racing for the Isle of Man TT “made sense” after a difficult North West 200.

TNT Sports MotoGP expert Laverty signed Browne and Hutchinson to his MLav team for its first road racing campaign in 2025, but the lateness of the project led to prioritisation between the riders, and, as such, Laverty was understanding of Browne’s decision to depart the team when Jamie Coward’s KTS Racing bikes became available following Coward’s injury at the North West 200.

“I get it, from Mike’s [Browne] point of view,” Laverty said in an interview with Crash.net at the British MotoGP.

“We [MLav Racing] were slightly late with everything, the bikes arrived late.

“We had booked onto the Navarra preseason test where any little problems should’ve been ironed out; but we got his bike late so he didn’t get to do the Donington BSB test and he only did the Oulton Park test and a test in Ireland.

“He didn’t get to do Oulton Park round one, so if you look at it in terms of fairness: we were low on manpower and low on parts, so we favoured Hutchy [Ian Hutchinson] in that instance.

“Mike did say ‘I’m not too stressed, I’ll ride in Ireland and focus on Supersport, that’s my priority.’ So, he probably felt a little bit second-best when it came to that.

“The North West 200, unfortunately for him– it started well, he had a good day one, but he had a gearbox problem on day two.

“So, we put a new engine in on the Friday.”

Laverty said a second issue arose from a circumstance specific to the North West 200 and the BMW M1000 RR, which comes with carbon wheels as standard.

“Then he went out [after the engine change on Friday] and it was a simple [North West 200-specific] problem where you have to run aluminium wheels, you’re not allowed to run carbon wheels,” Laverty said.

“So, the new wheels were so late they literally arrived to the paddock.

“These OZ wheels have a different wheel speed ring position, and the difference between the pick up and the wheel ring was too wide, and it just threw up an anomaly on the warm-up lap.

“At 100 per cent throttle it went into limp mode, so it was too dangerous, so [the team] pulled him out of the race.

“It was two small problems: the gearbox, and then that one. So, he got no racing.

“I tried to make it work for him, but he wasn’t obviously that happy after the North West.”

As a result, the injury to Jamie Coward at the North West 200 and his consequent withdrawal from the TT brought an opportunity for Browne, Laverty admitting it “made sense” for Browne to take it.

“The Jamie Coward bikes were available so it made sense for him to go and jump on that, a team ready to go, we’ll shift our focus to Hutchy and [Mike has] a team there that can run him,” Laverty said.

“I’d have loved to have Mike in our colours, to have an Irishman in our team, and I think he’s got a great future ahead of him.

“So, I wanted him on our bike, but it was slightly ambitious for us in year one as it was; probably just with a road race team, maybe, but adding the BSB team it just stretched manpower – it’s more manpower than anything – and then the late delivery of the 2025 bikes meant we were just waiting on stuff.

“We’ve got enough material to run both at the TT, but it’s one of those.

“I think it’s the right decision all around: he’s happier, and as much as I’d have liked it to work, because you always want everything to work out how you planned, there’s no ill-will from my side and I wish him all the best with the KTS team.”