By 11th April is a date which marks various great motorsport landmarks including the legendary Ayrton Senna’s iconic European Grand Prix success at Donington Park in 1993 and Maserati driver Jean Behra emerging victorious within the 1955 Pau Grand Prix.
Pure road racing wise it’s a date synonymous with Yamaha’s British Superbike Championship winning YZF R1M Yamaha.
Prior to the steed lets be honest not impressing at TT 2015, Dean Harrison and the Mar Train Racing squad gave the YZF R1M it’s first roads success at the Spring Cup National Road Races at Oliver’s Mount.
After an early retirement in the opening Spring Cup encounter, the following opening Senior race saw future Senior TT Champion Harrison hold off Tyco BMW’s Guy Martin, East Coast Racing’s Lee Johnston, Ivan Lintin and Ryan Farquhar to take class honours.
What made Harrison’s success all the more notable was that the YZF R1M was very early in it’s development cycle, still ‘a work in progress’ compared to BMW’s S1000RR, Kawasaki ZX-10 range.
Harrison who’s since amassed over 75 victories at Scarborough, would go onto triumph in September’s Steve Henshaw International Gold Cup, providing Yamaha with it’s only 1000cc International roads win of 2015.
Words by Stevie Rial
