Isle of Man TT 2019 results: Peter Hickman explains what went wrong after losing Senior TT win to Dean Harrison

Hickman saw a 19-second lead in the Senior TT evaporate as quickly as the water in his Smiths Racing BMW after an engine temperature issue cost him a nailed-on fourth victory of the week

Jack de Menezes
Friday 07 June 2019 13:23 BST
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Trailer for the Isle of Man TT races 2019

Peter Hickman revealed that he was forced to ride the final two laps of the Senior TT at half-throttle after a water temperature issue returned to cost him victory in the Isle of Man TT’s blue-riband event.

Hickman looked destined to to record his sixth TT victory and fourth in the same week when he emerged from the pits at the start of the fifth lap with a healthy 19-second lead. With history beckoning to become only the fourth man to win four races in a week along with Phillip McCallen, Michael Dunlop and Ian Hutchinson, Hickman just had to control the gap to second-placed Dean Harrison.

But the Silicone Engineering Kawasaki rider took 12 seconds out of the lead on the run to Glen Helen, and eventually he was leading by the time the pair reached Ramsey as Hickman was forced to limp around the 37.73-mile course, going on to take a 53-second victory over Hickman and third-placed Conor Cummins.

“It is what it is,” reflected Hickman. “We’ve had a cracking week. The bike was working awesome over the first four laps, built a 19-second lead and I was doing what I did in the superstock race and was cruising.

“But then the temperature went really high when I came in for the second pit stop and it’s been doing it all week, and we don’t know why.

“I kind of just knew. We’ve had this water issue and we really can’t work it out. It makes absolutely no sense. We’ve got some clever people and anything you can think of has been changed. If I went above 11,000 RPM, it just chucked water out. I rode around at half-throttle for those last two laps and was short-shifting everywhere. It was not very fun, I can tell you.

“All credit to Dean. He’s got his big bike win he’s been after for a while. On Monday he should have won that first Superbike race and he had problems so it’s swings and roundabouts.”

Harrison was delighted with the victory that came in the only full-length solo race of the week, with the Yorkshire native pushing Hickman’s Smiths Racing BMW to breaking point. While Hickman has proved difficult to live with on outright speed this week, Harrison gave it his all with a first-lap average of 133.992mph from a standing start in what was undoubtedly his performance of the week, and having claimed three second-place finishes to Hickman, he finally got his turn to take to the top step of the podium with his third TT victory and first on one of the big bikes

“To finish first, first you must finish,” said a delighted Harrison. “I’m over the moon. I rode as hard as I could and Peter was just chipping away at me. I just thought anything can happen. I carried on going at the same place. I can’t believe it.

“That’s hard work around there. Conditions were absolutely spot on. Can I say a big thanks to the crowd? Everywhere you go, there are people waving programmes. They’re what make it special. Without them, it wouldn’t be the same.

Harrison celebrates his victory alongside Hickman and Cummins

“I got the P1 board coming out of Ballaugh at then I got P1 +30. I don’t know what issues Peter has but I’ll take it. It’s an endurance race round here.”

“To do it over a full distance – six laps with two pit-stops – makes it very special. Conditions were spot on and a special thanks to all the crowd. Without them on the hedges it wouldn’t be the same – they make the whole thing special.”

The victory came in front of Harrison’s father, Conrad, who having himself won the Sidecar TT in 2014 the same year that his son took victory in the lightweight supertwins, celebrated a clean sweep of classes. Harrison also took victory at last year’s Ulster Grand Prix to add to the collection.

Harrison took the lead on lap five and never looked back (www.iomttraces.com)

Waiting for his other son Adrian to cross the finish line to come home in 31st place, Conrad said: “It’s brilliant! We’ve got the matching set now, we’ve won them all between us as a family.

“Dean had a raw deal – I won one and he’s got the rest.

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