PETE’S HICK, HIP HOORAY
Hickman’s rivals left to eat dust
PETER HICKMAN left his rivals for dust in yesterday’s Isle of Man TT RST Superbike race as he beat Dean Harrison by almost 40 seconds.
The Gas Monkey Garage by FHO BMW rider set an early benchmark as he clocked a sensational 133.18mph from a standing start on his first run, taking the lead as he hit the second sector of the 37.75-mile Mountain Course.
As the pack pitted at the end of lap two, both Hickman and his DAO Racing Kawasaki rival Dean Harrison had faultless stops and the battle was on as they powered back out on to the road. By the end of lap three, Hickman had more than 20 seconds on Harrison.
And it proved too big a gap to bridge, as Hickman’s lead grew over the next four laps to eventually cross the line 39.5secs ahead of Harrison, as Michael Dunlop came home third.
“What a race – My Gas Monkey Garage by FHO BMW was absolutely awesome from the first lap,” said the rider, 35, from Lincolnshire last night.
“I did the opposite to what I normally do and was fastest on lap one for once.
“That was the plan, to get my head down on the first lap and get myself a gap and a little breathing space later in the race and try to save the engine a bit.
“The bike worked perfectly with absolutely no problems – it looks the part and it goes the part. A massive thanks to everyone who has got us here, my sponsors, team, supporters, everyone.
“My bike is just magic, and I’m so, so happy to get the first win of the week here.”
Despite having to settle for second, Bradford’s Harrison remained upbeat last night and warned he still feels there is more to come from his Kawasaki as race week continues
“That was good,” he said. “To start the week with a podium is great isn’t it? Let’s be honest, I can’t complain. I feel like I’ve got more to give, that’s the thing. “There’s just a few problems that we’re having so if we can overcome them we should be good. If we make the right changes I think we can go faster.
“The bike certainly isn’t a million miles away, it just needs a few little tweaks and we’ll be there.
“It’s all good. We’ve a few more chances this week so let’s see what we can do.”