Following yet another incredible performance at the Isle of Man TT, Dean Harrison’s weekend at Knockhill was a bit of a letdown for him.
Harrison was participating in the Bennetts British Superbikes Championship’s fourth round this season in Scotland after finishing in the top two at Donington Park the previous time.
The North West 200 and the TT, two of the most prominent road race events of the year, were held in close proximity to Derbyshire during the Superbikes season’s third meeting.
And last month, a focused Harrison drove his Honda to finishes of 11th and 13th.
That awarded him eight of his nine points for the season; he had already earned his first point in the season’s inaugural Superbikes meeting, which took place at the Circuito de Navarra in Spain, where he had finished 15th.
Harrison, on the other hand, had less luck at Knockhill on Saturday and Sunday, finishing just outside of the points spots in the first two races (19th and 17th).
He was also unable to conclude the race in style, retiring from the weekend’s last race after just seven of the twenty-two laps.
His performances shouldn’t worry the Bradfordian too much because his reputation is more for his skill on the road than it is for his on-track heroics.
And he demonstrated all of that expertise earlier this month on the Isle of Man. Coming in third in the first Supersport and Superbike races of the season, he had a strong start to the TT.
Harrison finished fourth in the Thursday Superstock race, more over three seconds behind opponent Michael Dunlop in third place. Harrison was not on the podium.
However, in his subsequent race, the second Supersport meeting of the week, the Bradford ace celebrated his best performance of the weekend.
When he crossed the finish line, he was less than four seconds behind the winner, Dunlop, who had won.
That meant the Senior TT, the main event later that day, was the only race left.
Two of the leading candidates for the win, Dunlop and Peter Hickman, collided and retired early in the race, in a stunning turn of events.
This gave Davey Todd the opportunity to win in over forty seconds, followed by Josh Brookes in second and Harrison in third in his Honda Racing UK vehicle.
Ian Hutchinson, the Bingley ace, was also welcomed back by the TT.
And although if the 44-year-old’s racing results were nowhere close to Harrison’s, it was still wonderful to see him.
The ‘Bingley Bullet’ had to take a year off from racing after suffering a stroke in February of last year, but he is back and will be competing in both the North West 200 and the Isle of Man TT this year.
Throughout his career, Hutchinson has won 16 races at the TT; his most recent victory came in the Superstock class at the 2017 competition.
