By Setting a new race record of 1 hour 12 minutes 32.93 seconds, Silicone Engineering Racing’s Dean Harrison powered to Motorsport Merchandise Superbike Classic TT success, as he chalked up his 19th win of the 2017 pure road racing season.
Never headed in the four lap race, the Bradford based racer underlined his growing status worldwide within the real roads scene, with a relentless display aboard the Silicone Engineering Racing ZXR 750 Kawasaki.
Holding the Superbike classic lap record for all of just two laps, the reigning Duke Road Race Rankings champion lap speed of 127.212 mph set on lap 2, was soon surpassed by 35 times international road race winner Bruce Anstey, aboard the exotic Padgetts YZR 500 Yamaha.
The New Zealander knowing after a lengthy pit stop that race victory was pretty much out of reach, made the decision on the fourth and final lap to go in pursuit of Harrison’s lap record, which he went onto blitz lapping at a quite superb 127.496 mph.
16 seconds behind the race winner, a new outright lap record was a nice consolation for the Flying Kiwi, who has enjoyed an extremely positive month of roads competition.
A delighted Horst Saiger wrapped up the rostrum finishers, as the Greenall Racing rider clinched his first Mountain Course podium finish.
Team York Suzuki’s David Johnson lead the Suzuki challenge in fourth, whilst Dan Kneen got the better of Conor Cummins to finish the leading Manxman.
William Dunlop took the Herheim Racing Kawasaki to a very creditable seventh, as Classic TT debutant Derek Sheils, Danny Webb and reigning Junior Manx GP champion Andy Dudgeon, concluded the top ten finishers.
Photo by Mark Corlett
Dan Stewart sealed leading Privateer honours in 11th, whilst added impressive performances included Ben Rea 14th, Matt Rees 15th, Timothee Monot 18th, Dan Ingham 22nd and Josh Daley in 23rd place.
Photo by Nick Wheeler
Surprisingly the attrition rate of the four lap race was high, with the most notable retirement been at the completion of lap 1, 15 times TT winner Michael Dunlop who has endured a pretty horrid 2017 Classic TT.
Photo by Mark Corlett
Others to run into problems included Ivan Lintin’s who’s Kraus Racing Kawasaki mount caught fire! plus Josh Brookes aboard the rotary Wiz Racing Norton, Bimota’s Ben Wylie, Gary Johnson and early podium contender Jamie Coward.
Motorsport Merchandise Superbike Classic TT Results:
1 Dean Harrison
2 Bruce Anstey
3 Horst Saiger
4 David Johnson
5 Dan Kneen
6 Conor Cummins
7 William Dunlop
8 Derek Sheils
9 Danny Webb
10 Andy Dudgeon
11 Dan Stewart
12 Dan Hegarty
13 Michael Rutter
14 Ben Rea
15 Matt Rees
16 Dominic Herbertson
17 Dean Osborne
18 Timothee Monot
19 Kiaran Hankin
20 Dennis Booth
21 Dave Madsen Mygdal
22 Dan Ingham
23 Josh Daley
24 Morgan Govignon
25 James Caswell
26 Peter Boast
27 Mark Parrett
28 Mark Herbertson
29 James Ford
30 Forest Dunn
31 Pete Murray
32 Alec Whitwell
33 Ian Gardner
34 Alan Bud Jackson
35 Andy Lovett
36 Bob Farrington
37 Mike Carter
38 David Crussell
39 Anthony Redmond
40 Peter Creer
41 Gaz Evans
42 Andrew Cowie
43 Andy McPherson
44 Darran Creer
45 Alun Thomas
46 Andy Lee
Words by Stevie Rial
