Yorkshire’s Dean Harrison achieved the ultimate prize at TT 2019, winning the six-lap Senior TT after early race leader Peter Hickman’s new BMW S1000RR started to overheat and slow down in the closing laps.
The weather had been the main winner at the 2019 Isle of Man TT races, with practice week decimated by rain and foggy conditions on the famous Mountain course. With the bad weather continuing into the early part of race week, all put the Senior were run over shortened race distances as the organisers did their best to get through the race programme.
Hickman won the opening Superbike TT, reduced to four laps and then subsequently red flagged and a result called after two following a fatal accident which claimed the life of 27-year-old Daley Mathison.
Lee Johnston was a surprise, but popular winner of the opening Supersport TT, curtailed to two laps due to the onset of rain, before Hickman ran out as winner of the Superstock and second Supersport TTs on Wednesday.
Michael Dunlop, an 18 times TT winner going into this year’s races, had a tough week by his own high standards but was able to add one more win in Thursday night’s Lightweight TT – while Michael Rutter gave Mugen yet another title in the sparsely attended TT Zero for electric bikes.
But the big one for all TT racers is the Senior and once again it looked like lap record holder Hickman would emerge triumphant. The 32-year-old, who also races in the British Superbike Championship series, was fastest out of the blocks and looked set to take his fourth win of the week when his BMW overheated and lost power with two laps to go.
Hicky’s misfortune opened the door for Harrison to finally arrive on the top step of the podium, his first big bike win and Kawasaki’s first Senior TT victory since 1975.
Despite slowing, Hickman held on to second, giving him the added honour of winning the Joey Dunlop TT Championship, which is determined by results in the two Supersport TTs, the Superstock, Senior and Superbike TTs.
Jamie Coward finished as top privateer in all five main races, taking the TT Privateer’s Championship, while Kawasaki won the manufacturer’s award and Hickman’s Smiths Racing squad took the team trophy.
James Hillier enjoyed a good TT for the Carole Nash-backed JG Speedfit Wicked Coatings Kawasaki, taking podiums in both Supersport TTs onboard the squad’s Kawasaki ZX-6Rs.