Tag Archives: 2019 IoM TT

Dean Harrison’s Senior IOM TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR ridden

TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR

Ridden by Adam Child

Dead flies are still plastered to the front of Dean Harrison’s historic Senior winning Kawasaki. The rear Metzeler slick shows evidence of his celebratory burnout, with melted race rubber hangs from the rear undertray.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Forks

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Forks

Senior TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR

Chain lube is splattered over the factory swing-arm – even the Akrapovic logo, lost somewhere out there on the TT course, is still missing from the exhaust.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Swingarm

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Swingarm

TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR Silicone Engineering

This very special Silicone Engineering ZX-10RR gave Kawasaki their first Senior TT win since Mick Grant in 1975, and crossed the finish line on Glencrutchery Road less than 24 hours before I got to throw a leg over the machine.

IOMTT Senior Podium Harrison Hickman Cummins

IOMTT Senior Podium Harrison Hickman Cummins

2019 Senior TT Results
1. Dean Harrison / Kawasaki
2. Peter Hickman / BMW +53.062
3.. Conor Cummins / Honda  +58.879

The grips, the levers – everything – are as Dean left them. After my ride the bike headed into private storage to never be ridden again; its factory engine silenced forever as its proud owner puts it on display at home.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Controls

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Controls

Bit of force gets put through these and the pegs to pilot this beast around the Isle of Man


This is one special bike

For those of you who thought Harrison’s TT winning bike was back racing in the British Superbike Championship at the next round, let me assure you it wasn’t. It’s true, many TT teams now run modified BSB bikes on the roads, but Dean’s ‘official’ Kawasaki is very different. This is a very special one-off.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner RHS

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner RHS

TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR

The wheels are the same as those used in BSB, but that is really where any similarity ends. The discs are a different spec’ and the brake calipers are changed too. Dean’s BSB bikes use a four-pot Brembo set up while the TT bike uses Nissin six-piston calipers. The Brembo brakes have more instant bite while the TT brakes are more consistent.

IOMTT Senior Dean Harrison

IOMTT Senior Dean Harrison

Dean Harrison – 2019 Senior TT winner

You’re never really punishing the brakes around the TT – you don’t need massive initial short-circuit bite – and Dean prefers the Nissin six-piston set up at the TT (although the rear thumb Nissin brake is similar to his BSB bike’s set-up).

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner ForksDash

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner ForksDash

TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR


Let’s talk suspension

The Öhlins forks are similar, but the BSB ZX-10RR makes full use of the latest Öhlins 2530 while the TT bike runs the older 2525 spec’ from 2018. With so little set-up time due to the bad weather in practice week at the 2019 TT the team didn’t get the opportunity to test new fork options, so ran the same forks as 2018.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Forks Brakes Nissin

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Forks Brakes Nissin

TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR

The main difference is the flex between the new and old forks, and Dean preferred the older set-up. The top yoke is changed to accommodate the smaller-diameter forks. The top yoke is also stiffer on the TT bike, with fewer cutaway sections.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner TripleClamps

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner TripleClamps

TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR

The Silicone team isn’t commercially linked to any products: everything they use, they buy. If an item doesn’t work, they won’t use it. And while the team runs an Öhlins unit to complement the front whne racing in BSB, Dean prefers a Maxton rear shock on the roads.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Linkage

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Linkage

TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR uses a Maxton shock

In fact, if Dean wanted pink grips to make him faster, Silicone Engineering would buy him pink grips. Hard-centred TT tyres are, of course, supplied by Metzeler (it’s Pirelli in BSB), which again Dean is happy with.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Swingarm

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Swingarm

TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR


Bespoke items

Some components of the Senior TT-winning bike are completely bespoke. The swing-arm, for example, is the team’s own and the final version of six designs, which the team admit was excessively expensive to produce. Dean arrived at the TT with three different iterations, each one tweakable to increase or reduce flex and stiffness.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Swingarm

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Swingarm

TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR

This is done by adding or removing bolts within the structure of the arm. Version one, with no bolts, has lots of flex – then it’s version one with bolts, then version two without bolts, then version two with bolts… and so on, with each swing-arm version (with and without bolts) increasing or decreasing stiffness by around 10 per cent.

Essentially Dean has three different arms to choose from with each one having two variants. During a BSB weekend, Dean will normally use swing-arm number two with bolts, but at the TT it’s swing-arm one, as he prefers more flex.

As someone who has raced the TT I find it hard to believe Dean can feel the difference in 10 per cent more flex when lapping the TT at a 134 mph average, but as crew chief Jonny Bagnall explains, “Yes, he’ll notice the difference straight away. He’ll notice how much the bike slides, which I know sounds ridiculous around the TT, but Dean slides the bike. He prefers the bike to slide progressively, and we can help with that by increasing or reducing the flex in the swingarm. What he doesn’t want is the bike to snap out of line; he wants it to slide gracefully.”

IOMTT Senior Harrison Action

IOMTT Senior Harrison Action

Dean Harrison on his way to winning the 2019 Senior TT

Again, the frame is different from that of a BSB ZX-10RR. The road frame has more flex and isn’t braced heavily like the short circuit bike. In fact, the frame is showroom spec, the same as an everyday road bike.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Controls

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Controls

Standard frame used on the Senior TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR


New engine, more power

Kawasaki introduced a new engine last year with finger-followers on the valves, and lighter titanium rods, which not only reduced engine inertia but also allowed the stock engine to rev 500 rpm higher. The new engine developments allowed the team to find even more bhp, with a significant 10 hp gain in the mid-range.

Dean liked the old engine and compared it to a two-stroke – ‘You’ve got to keep it revving’, he said – but now loves the huge increase in mid-range torque.

The team is reluctant to quote an actual power figure, but you’re looking at a true 225 hp at the back wheel. And that significant increase in torque and power created handling issues the team had to work around.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner RHF

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner RHF

2019 Senior TT winning ZX-10RR Kawasaki

The TT engines are Kawasaki factory and supplied by Kawasaki’s World Superbike engine builder, Akira, whereas the BSB engine is developed by the team using factory kit parts. The engines go from Kawasaki to Akira and then are delivered to the team run in and ready to go – it’s just a case of bolting the special engine in.

The oil has to be changed every 250 km and the filter every 500 km. And yes, those of you who are good at maths will have worked out that the six-lap Senior TT was more than 250 km.

Despite the lack of label, the exhaust is made by Akrapovic and Motec controls the electronics and fuelling, the same as BSB. Teams at the TT have the option to run a kit ECU, which would allow rider aids, but Dean and the team choose BSB spec’ electronics, which means Dean alone controls the 225 hp.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Cockpit

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Cockpit

No traction control, just right hand control…

Again, the bodywork looks the same as any other race bike in BSB, but the top section is reinforced to make it stronger as you’re going that much fast for so much longer – and it stops flex. Surprisingly the screen is the same as BSB because Dean doesn’t use a large screen with add-ons like the majority of TT riders.

The fuel tanks, however, are completely different to both the BSB bike’s 22-litre tank and the standard road bike’s 17-litre tank. The TT bikes have a hand-made 24-litre tank that extends under the seat to keep the weight low and differs from those run by the other Kawasaki teams.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Adam Action

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Adam Action

Adam Child on the Senior TT winning ZX-10RR Kawasaki

The bars and levers are the same as Dean’s BSB bike. Dean had been racing BSB in the summer to get ‘up-to-speed’ and didn’t want to get used to two bikes; therefore the bar position is similar on both bikes. The team worked countless hours on seat-position.

Their rider has been with the team for a few years and in 2018 they spent a huge amount of time getting Dean comfortable with the bike. The seat height is the same as the standard road-going ZX-10RR, even with the fuel tank running underneath the seat.

Little touches make the TT bike unique. The team has designed a captive spindle on the rear wheel so you can’t remove the entire spindle and place it on the ground; it doesn’t come fully out when you remove the rear wheel. Remember the Senior is over six-laps, which means two rear wheel changes in under 40-seconds per stop.

IOMTT Senior Post Dean Harrison Shoei

IOMTT Senior Post Dean Harrison Shoei

Trev took this photo of Dean Harrison after he won the 2019 Senior TT

The sub-frame is easily removable, all the electronics are upfront with the only wire going to the rear being for the mandatory rain light. This allows quick easy access.

Everything is lock-wired, the team will use a few metres of lock-wire on each bike build. Check out some of the detail images if you need convincing. Steering damper, calipers, exhaust bracket are all secured with meticulous and painstaking lock-wiring.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Forks

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Forks

TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR


Close to running out of fuel!

Bob Grey, the team’s Data Technician, designed the switchgear, dash surround, rear rain light, and a few other items. Plastic printing was used and money was saved if needed,  “The actual buttons are £3.75 plus VAT and on the TT bike we only need minimal buttons – a pit-lane limiter and a map switch – and on the right bar an on and off switch. We’ve also added a rain light button. The rain light is the blue button (water is blue), black is for the map switch, and orange is the pit lane limiter.

“We don’t show Dean a board and tell him to change the map. In practice we’ll change the mapping; if Dean thinks the mapping is shit, he can press the map button and it will go back to the previous map. The fuel map in the bike at the moment is the saving-fuel map.”

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner TripleClamps

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner TripleClamps

TT winning Kawasaki ZX-10RR

One of the problems the team encountered at the 2018 TT, especially in the first Superbike race on day one, was fuel starvation on the end of laps two and four – before the fuel stops. Dean was complaining the bike was surging. Bob and the team analysed the data and could see the fuel pressure dropping for a fraction of a second before the surging as the fuel tank levels depleted.

Bob explains the predicament the team was in the night before the senior, “We were up to the very early hours working out fuel consumption and looked at fuelling strategies. I could lean the motor, to save fuel, but then we could go too lean and the engine would over-heat and melt. But if I’d left the fuelling alone we would have most likely run out of fuel. So, I had to use some calculations and guesswork and went big.

“There was a little bit of surging at the end of lap two as Dean came into the pits, but we’d saved enough fuel to stop the surging in other places. Thankfully the bike ran fine. The link pipe turned purple, it must have been running hot, but we didn’t have any issues. When Dean noticed he had a big lead from his pit-board he maturely rolled off a little which also helped with fuel consumption.”

IOMTT Senior Dean Harrison Podium Peter Hickman Conor Cummins

IOMTT Senior Dean Harrison Podium Peter Hickman Conor Cummins

2019 Senior TT Results
1. Dean Harrison
2. Peter Hickman +53.062
3. Conor Cummins  +58.879


Riding Dean Harrison’s Senior Kawasaki ZX-10RR

Let’s be honest, I’m not going to pretend I can feel the flex in the chassis. Nor did I push the handling limits, and I didn’t feel the used Metzeler slide – despite racing the TT several times I don’t have that level of skill.

I just wanted to get a flavour of the historic TT winning bike, which thankfully the team agreed to the morning after the TT. With hangovers still pounding from the previous night’s celebrations, we headed to out – and forgot the tyre warmers.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Adam Action

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Adam Action

Adam Child on the Senior TT winning ZX-10RR Kawasaki

The TT winning bike starts on the button, but to ease the Nova gearbox, Jonny gives me a push to get everything moving before I slotted it into gear. Dean uses a conventional road shift, not a race shift, so it’s unusually down for first gear. The clutch feels heavy and the power is snatchy and aggressive low down. But I’m guessing Dean only lets the rev drop below 5000 rpm three times a lap, if that.

I’m obviously aware I’m on cold Metzeler slicks which have been abused around the TT and during a burn-out in the paddock. In the back of my mind, I know the bike is irreplaceable, and despite the fact that Dean is a good mate, he isn’t going to be too happy if I launch it.

IOMTT Senior Post Dean Harrison

IOMTT Senior Post Dean Harrison

Dean Harrison greeted by his family in Parc Ferme after taking victory in the 2019 Senior TT

As you’d expect, it’s quick, but it feels raw. The whole bike feels alive, it’s a 225 hp animal without any rider aids. I’ve ridden many TT-winning bikes, and they feel a little timid, but the Kawasaki doesn’t. The thought of riding this flat out at the TT scares me to death. And Dean was power sliding the beast and wrestling it around in fifth and sixth gear – he’s got balls.

The ride isn’t harsh; it’s not a plank of wood with a fast engine, and as Dean explained the brakes are progressive, dare I say user-friendly. The thumb back brake has a nice, smooth, fluid action and doesn’t require a huge input, unlike other thumb brakes I’ve used in the past. Alarmingly my foot does keep reaching for the conventional back brake pedal, which isn’t there – don’t think I’ll be trying any wheelies.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Adam Action

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Adam Action

Adam Child on the Senior TT winning ZX-10RR Kawasaki

I love the simplicity of Dean’s bike and minimal buttons to minimise confusion. With its standard screen, simple dash with large digital rev counter there’s no glitz and glamour – it was built to do the job of winning the TT, and that’s it. Like a kit-car, it was designed for speed, not glamour or comfort, despite the face Dean has to ride flat out for close to two hours.

The bars are wide, and it feels like a big bike (with a full 24-litres of fuel she must have been a handful). The steering isn’t light, either, and make no mistake the big Kwaka took some riding. However, Dean is adamant it wasn’t that much of a handful, and it certainly looked like he was dancing with the ZX-10RR for most of the time. Simply having fun.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Adam Action

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Adam Action

Adam Child on the Senior TT winning ZX-10RR Kawasaki

After a short ride, I was happy to give it back in one piece. It’s never nice riding a mate’s bike, especially one that happens to be priceless and has just won the TT. I’d like to say I’d love to ride it in anger, but I don’t think I would, especially not on the road. This is one scary and raw bike I’ll happily give back.

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Adam

Dean Harrison Senior TT Winner Adam

Adam Child was very happy to get the bike back in one piece


How the 2019 Senior race was won

Dean Harrison claimed his first senior win after Peter Hickman’s Smiths BMW began to overheat on lap five. Peter had a lead of nearly 20 seconds, but it was clear Peter had a problem as he left the second pit-stop. Down Sulby Straight Peter was down to 159 mph, compared to Dean at 191 mph.

By Ramsey Dean had an eight-second lead, with Conor 36-seconds back in third. On the last lap, it was clear Hickman had an ongoing issue again only posting 165 mph through the speed trap, and Dean continued to pull out a lead to more than 40-seconds.

On the run over the mountain, as Hickman’s problems continued, it looked like Conor on the Padgetts Honda may snatch the second spot, but Hickman just held on to second position, eventually finishing, 53-seconds behind Dean and just five seconds ahead of Conor. Michael Dunlop rounded off the top four.

IOMTT Senior Post Dean Harrison

IOMTT Senior Post Dean Harrison

The front of the Silicone Engineering Kawasaki after almost two hours of racing at the Senior TT

Dean was clearly overjoyed to take his first big bike win, “To finish first, you first must finish and the bike never missed a beat. I can’t believe it. I’m happy it’s a proper six-lap Senior Superbike win, I’m so happy for the team. The fans and the marshals were all waving, it’s amazing. I got a board which said P1 plus 30 so I knew Peter had a problem. I’m so going to celebrate tonight, you don’t want to know how I’m going to celebrate, it’s going to be big.”

IOMTT Senior Post Dean Harrison

IOMTT Senior Post Dean Harrison

Dean Harrison – Senior TT Winner – 2019

Peter Hickman sharing of his issues, “I got off to good start and I knew the first lap was 16-min as I came up on the dash. But as I came away from the pitstop the bike was overheating and when the bike went over 11,000rpm it was pissing water out. I couldn’t go past 11,000, so I just short-shifted everywhere, the last few laps seemed to take forever. It’s a problem we’ve had on the Superbike, but not on the Superstock, and we have some amazing people in the Smiths racing but we don’t know why.”

IOMTT Senior Harrison Hickman

IOMTT Senior Harrison Hickman

Peter Hickman and Dean Harrison in Parc Ferme – Senior TT 2019


2019 Senior Results

  1. Dean Harrison 1:43:49.521 130.824mph
  2. Peter Hickman 1:44:42.583 129.719mph
  3. Conor Cummins 1:44:48.400 129.599mph
  4. Michael Dunlop 1:45:16.230 129.028mph
  5. James Hiller 1:46:19.873 127.740mph

Images Stephen Davison & TH


Source: MCNews.com.au

Ride the Isle of Man TT course in 2020 with Get Routed

Ride the Isle of Man on your own bike!

Get Routed 2020 or 2021 IoM TT experience

Stay on and tour Europe!

Get Routed offer a range of motorcycling shipping services, allowing motorcyclists to have their motorcycle transported for the ultimate two wheeled travel experience, including to locations such as United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, the Isle of Man and New Zealand.

Each year Get Routed organise IoM TT experiences for Aussie and Kiwi riders, with strictly limited spaces available for the 2020 event, and they also have pre-booked accommodation for the TT fortnight. There’s also space for those happy to take a tent and camp out, as an additional option, that Get Routed can also help organise.

IOM Mountain Triumph
Riders await the mountain section of the Isle of Man TT Course being opened to public traffic, there are no speed limits!

Get Routed also book ferry tickets from Liverpool or Heysham across to the Isle of Man each year far in advance, that can be used by their customers. This is far more important than you might think, as IOM TT ferry tickets can sell out in minutes and are generally booked out over 12 months in advance and cost over $500 AUD.

IOM Ferry
Ferry port at Douglas, Isle of Man

Of course if you take your own bike you not only get to the lap the TT course, and visit all corners of what is quite a beautiful island under your own steam and in your own time, you can also then extend your holiday and ride throughout the UK or continue over to Europe.

With Get Routed your bike can stay in Europe for a couple of months before being shipped back to Australia, and there are no extra charges for extending your stay in Europe and undertaking your own tour, in your own time. Perhaps even take in a round of MotoGP while you are on the European mainland.

Uk Trip Peak District
Tour England’s Peak District ahead of your Isle of Man adventure

Here’s the full scoop from Dave of Get Routed, with contact details for those interested. With strictly limited spaces each year it’s worth getting in quick.


Dave – Get Routed

“I have been coming to the TT since 1983 and started shipping motorcycles to UK and Europe since 2001 and over that time have transported almost 3000 motorcycles to the UK and other European destinations. Of course we also provide shipping services across the Tasman for those riders wanting to tour New Zealand on their own motorcycle.

IOM Port Erin
The Isle of Man can be a stunning place to spend time

“I also book plenty of accommodation on the Isle of Man each year for the TT fortnight, with quality options in the beautiful seaside towns of Port Erin and Port Mary. Including a self contained fully restored stone farm cottage built in 1850.

IOM Port Erin
Port Erin

“This accommodation is not available to people who don’t want to take a bike to the TT. The accommodation and ferry tickets are only available to those who want bikes shipped to the UK and back, from either Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne. Of course for those wanting to take a tent and camp out at one of the many IoM camp sites I can also help facilitate this.

“Laps of the TT Mountain Course circuit during open road times across the TT fortnight is not difficult.

TT Get Routed Loading Yamaha MT
Motorcycles being prepared for shipping

“Bikes are generally loaded in Australia towards the end of February and available for collection in Felixstowe, Suffolk, UK towards the end of April. Your motorcycle luggage can also be transported in the container ready for your collection with your motorcycle.”

TT Trip Felixstowe Depot
Trev’s Fireblade with some of the other bikes shipped from Australia to the UK with Get Routed for TT 2019 – Image by Steve/Sue Frew

How much does this type of service cost?

The 2020 and 2021 Isle of Man TT motorcycle shipping and accommodation package, which includes ferry tickets for you and your motorcycle across the Irish Sea, and 14-nights quality lodgings on the Isle of Man, sells for $7436. Spaces are always limited thus advance bookings are thoroughly recommended.


To make an enquiry or a booking email [email protected] or phone 03 5625 9080.

getrouted

Source: MCNews.com.au

David Johnson reflects on TT 2019 Superstock podium

2019 Isle of Man TT

David Johnson Interview

South Australia’s David Johnson had scored a couple of fourth place finishes in previous TT appearances but 2019 marked a breakthrough for the 37-year-old as he raced to a hard fought podium in the Superstock TT.

Johnson was hoping for a repeat performance in Friday’s Senior TT but after an impressive opening lap of 130.98mph, disappointment then struck at the end of lap two when a vibration caused the crank position sensor to fail, shutting down the bike and forcing him to retire. Early in the week he had claimed tenth in the Supersport TT.

We caught up with Davo after the Senior TT to recap his TT week.


IOMTT Superstock David Johnson
David Johnson

Trev: I am with David Johnson here at the TT paddock on Friday, immediately after a disappointing senior TT, but with the glory of a Superstock podium still fresh from Thursday that must be a great reward for some of the pre-season effort and the faith Honda has put in you.

David Johnson: “Today, the Senior TT hasn’t gone so well, but we were looking like we were in a good position there – I think it’s an antipodean thing, we come out of the box quite slow then get fast. It’s no different than what Bruce Anstey does. I think Cam (Donald) is the only one of us who went out and did awesome laps from lap one.

IOMTT David Johnson Pits Profile HondaImage
David Johnson – TT 2019

“I always end well though, and it looked like it could possibly have been a podium today as well, while yesterday of course was amazing. On a bike that I didn’t expect it on, the Superstock bike is not known as the fastest thing out of the box but we proved to people that it is highly capable. It handles so well, I could just ride it, the way it handled was amazing, there is never any dramas with the way the stock Honda handles, that’s for sure.

IOMTT David Johnson Supertock Podium Cam Donald HondaImage
Cam Donald congratulates Davo on his maiden TT podium

“On the last lap in the Superstock race, when I was in P3 at one point, then P4, then just before the mount’ I saw P4 + 0, and thought who the hell is this I’m dicing with. It turns out its Michael Dunlop. That was only over the line, the last sector I was fourth, come across the line as hard as I could in the last sector, short circuit hard and come out 0.2s in front. Happy to get onto the podium for the first time.”


IOMTT Superbike Race Start David Johnson
David Johnson was cool as a cucumber ahead of the Superbike TT as his mechanics fuelled his bike only moments before the race start

Trev: I remarked in the Superstock race report (Link), the bike uses less fuel, the team helped make up that three-seconds in the pits to give the team great credence as well, but some people also forget that you lose more than three-seconds a lap with the horsepower deficit to the BMW and Kawasaki. So you still had to do your job with less power out on the circuit. From the sidelines earlier in the week I could see that Michael Dunlop could make 20 metres or more on you over 400 metres as soon as the bikes were upright, pulling 20 metres over a 400 metre straight – when the tracks  over 60,000 metres that certainly adds up over a full lap…

IOMTT David Johnson Superbike Pits HondaImage
David Johnson in the pits on the Superbike

David Johnson: “Yea, Sulby Straight I think we were at our worst, against whoever was fastest, 15 mph down, which is a lot, a friggen hell of a lot. Yea so I sorta had no idea who I was dicing with, I thought it was actually going to be James Hillier, but obviously he had a 30s penalty, which didn’t come into the equation, as even with that penalty off we still beat him by 6s, but it was Dunlop I was fighting with.

IOMTT David Johnson Supertock HondaImage
David Johnson – Superstock TT 2019

“The last sector is obviously where the Honda is going to be awesome, as it’s quite a tight little section, slow and tight, which is why I can push without risking too much. Just to come out by 0.2 of a second is… some people, the way they were following it, they were saying it was the battle of the TT.”


IOMTT Race Superbike Hickman Johnson
Peter Hickman leads David Johnson

Trev: It was only a race for third to be fair right from the start, Hicky and Harrison were in another league last year, and it proved the same again this year, that pair are going to be hard to beat.

David Johnson: “They’ve changed the bar for this whole situation really, Hicky was behind me starting, I was ninth on the road, and he was 10th, so when he caught me and he caught me quite early in the lap, and then starts pulling away, I was like oh my god, this is ridiculous, to push like that.

IOMTT David Johnson Supertock HondaImage
David Johnson – Superstock TT 2019

“The way they are pushing to get what they do, it’s changed a lot. That’s how hard you have to win, those two have changed the bar. Dunlop has won 19 TTs all together and in a big bike TT you have to push absolutely, like say short circuit you push 100 per cent, to win a TT these days that’s what it takes… I would if I felt comfortable on the bike, but with the short practice that we’ve had and me being new to Honda, I just didn’t quite feel that comfortable to go out of the box and push like mad right from the off.

IOMTT David Johnson Supertock HondaImage
David Johnson – Superstock TT 2019

“Whereas especially the first couple of laps, is where you make it all up and get comfortable with the bike, you push like mad in the first two laps and the rest comes to you. Whereas I’m still building up speed…”


TT Qualifying Tuesday David Johnson
David Johnson

Trev: Third, that’s probably fulfilling your ultimate potential that you would have looked at coming into the race. Are the team happy, does that mean you’ll be on a Fireblade next year and they’ll pay you more money? (laughs)

David Johnson: “Maybe, we’ve not spoken about that, I’m happy with them and they are happy with me. Especially in Superstock, they didn’t expect that at all. The Superbike is a fair weapon, so we expected to be somewhere near in that, and we were close, we thought we had the potential to be on the podium today in the Senior, unfortunately the bike let us down with an electronics problem.

IOMTT David Johnson Supertock HondaImage
David Johnson – Superstock TT 2019

“On the Superstock bike it was a long shot, the Superbike was the one I expected to be on the podium in, and then all of a sudden I’m on the podium in Superstock. I’ve won BSB championship races in Superstock, so I knew I was going to be good on it, but had no idea, never expected to be on the podium this year like that in the Superstock class.”

IOMTT David Johnson Superbike HondaImage
David Johnson on the Superbike – TT 2019

Trev: We don’t hear outside of the TT anything that you’re up to. How have you got yourself up to speed, and your head up to speed?

David Johnson: “Well the Island Classic, Phillip Island, that’s my main preparation, they ride like mad out there. To be honest, I didn’t do any British Championship races this year, which I usually do. I know if I go into Superstock race I can be at the front. But this year we didn’t do that, for whatever reason.”


IIC Phillip Island Rob Mott Friday David Johnson
David Johnson at the 2019 Island Classic – Image by Rob Mott

Trev: Might there be any opportunities for you to get any short circuit work in the latter part of the year?

David Johnson: “There is, that’s all down to me now. I’m 37-years-old now and I’ve got my fiancee and we’re from Adelaide, and I like to spend all my time in Adelaide now. I’ve been here for 18 years now, in Europe.

IOMTT David Johnson Superbike HondaImage
David Johnson on the Superbike – TT 2019

Trev: It’s a long time ago you left the Aussie domestic competition…

David Johnson: “I remember I was excited when you did a little write up on me in my first year, in 2002…”

David Johnson GP Support Races
David Johnson – Aussie GP Support Races 2002

Trev: So we’re both getting old.

David Johnson: “I guess so!  I do what I need to do to keep doing it. I do a heap of track days, Levi Day race schools, my own race schools here and there as well, and the Champion Rides days, so I do a lot of riding. I do the James Whitham schools when I’m here and the Focus Events around Europe. So I do a lot of riding but that doesn’t really reflect when you’re pushing hard from the get go, like mad.”

IOMTT David Johnson Supersport HondaImage
David Johnson – Supersport TT 2019

Trev: So if you got any short circuit work in this year, would it be back in Australia or in the UK?

David Johnson: “I’ve never really had the opportunity in Australia, they never come up, I would love to do it, with Honda if they had a spare bike and it was offered, I’d jump on it. But because I’ve never had the offers, I’ve never done it. And to be competitive you need to be on a good bike and team to be in Australia, in Australia the riders are world class.”

IOMTT David Johnson Superbike HondaImage
David Johnson on the Superbike – TT 2019

Trev: It’s very tight, one turn of a clicker between hero and zero really it is that close.

David Johnson: “It’s no different than going to BSB, if you’re on a crap bike in BSB you won’t be competitive. In Australia it’s the same thing and I don’t want to do it half arsed. If I do it, it has to be properly. But I don’t know, I’ll suss it out. It feels like the end of the season for me now, so we’ll have a big night tonight and move forward from here.”

IOMTT David Johnson Superbike HondaImage
David Johnson on the Superbike – TT 2019

Trev: So just see what crops up in the latter half or 2019 and will there be any more real road racing for you? Anything lined up for the Classic TT?

David Johnson: “Yes, I’m racing with the Kawasaki team in the Classic TT, I’m not really allowed to say that around here! But yea the Kawasaki team for that. Ulster GP as well, it’s not in my contract but I know Honda will want me to do it and I love the Ulster GP, I got a podium last year with the Tyco BMW team and it’s a good place. A love-hate relationship. I broke my back there and spent a month in Belfast hospital but I want to do that again. And the Macau GP at the end of the year, so I have a few big international races to do.

Macau GP David Johnson
David Johnson at the 2018 Macau GP

Trev: Who’s Macau with?

David Johnson: “Not sure yet, that’s to be confirmed,  to be announced, actually I don’t even know yet. I’ve had about 17,000 offers so far, so it’s wait and see.”

IOMTT David Johnson Superbike HondaImage
David Johnson on the Superbike – TT 2019

Trev: It’s nice to be wanted mate.

David Johnson: “It’s better to be wanted than no one gives a shit, so we’ll wait and see.”

IOMTT David Johnson Supertock Podium HondaImage
David Johnson on the Superstock podium – TT 2019

Trev: Celebrate a safe and successful week, we’ll see you in due course.

David Johnson: “I’ll see you at the bar later mate!”

IOMTT David Johnson Supertock Podium HondaImage
David Johnson on the Superstock podium – TT 2019

Source: MCNews.com.au

Dean Harrison reflects on his first Senior TT win

Dean Harrison Interview

The 2019 Isle of Man TT has seen Dean Harrison claim Kawasaki’s first Senior TT win since 1975. This is only the second ever win for Kawasaki in the premier event at the TT, and at 30-years-old Harrison is also one of the youngest riders ever to win the Senior TT. We had a front row seat for the chat with Harrison immediately after he claimed victory in Friday’s Senior TT.

IOMTT Senior Post Dean Harrison
Dean Harrison – Senior TT Winner – 2019

Your first big bike win at the TT.

Dean Harrison: “I’m over the moon I can’t believe it to be honest. It’s great now as I’ve won every TT on a Kawasaki, I’ve won the 650 twin race, Supersport race, the big bike race, so a win in every class, that’s ticked all the boxes.

“The race I got off to a reasonable start, Pete had a bit of the legs on me to be honest. I just tried to put as much pressure on him as I could, as the race went on he was chipping away from me, and the gap was getting bigger, it wasn’t until lap 4 or lap 5 that I noticed the gap had halved. So I thought… well the thing is when the gap halves, I’m not sure if there was a problem, as if someone breaks down there’s a big gap, and it keeps coming down and down and down.

“So I just kept it going to be honest, I was short shifting everywhere, trying to conserve fuel for my last lap. Six laps around this place, 226 miles (over 360 km) on the bike, and two hours, it’s the longest race you’ll ever do as a solo rider. It’s a testament to the bike to keep going for so long, the hammering it gets from me is unbelievable.”


IOMTT Qualifying Sunday Dean Harrison
Dean Harrison

When you saw the early boards you must have thought he was getting away from you, growing sector by sector.

Dean Harrison: “Yeah exactly, I was going as hard as I felt comfortable going, I thought I’d push and that would be my best, in those first few laps, and I think I did a sub 17 on lap one, a 16:50 something.

“The trouble is now you’re kind of splitting hairs around here, aren’t we it’s getting so fine. I just tried to put on as much pressure as I could. It sounds daft but if you take a step back and relax you end up making a mistake, if I keep going at the pace I’m going and pushing, you sorta get into a rhythm and sorta hit your points at the apex.

“But the bike to be fair was absolutely faultless, never missed a beat the whole race. Apart from a little tank surging issue, that we went through, that showed up a little bit to be honest, at the latter part of the second lap, the pit laps. But apart from that it was faultless. Massive thanks to the team.”


IOMTT Senior Post Dean Harrison
Dean Harrison

For the second pit stop the lead was about 17-seconds, half of which Peter had built up just on the climb to the mount, taking about eight-seconds out of your lap.

Dean Harrison: “That’s my Achilles heel, on the lower section I seem to have it nailed, it’s the climb up the mounts that I need to do some more research on over the winter, we’ve got to do some more short circuits scratching, the faster I get at short circuits the faster I seem to go up the mountain. So I need to come back and do a bit of that here later in the year. Hat’s off to Pete, he has won three TT’s this week and it just proves I’m competitive to get onto the podium.”


And with the top brass from Kawasaki here, we think it’s the first Senior TT for the marque since 1975…

Dean Harrison: “I think it was Mick Grant that won that… Brilliant yea, to give the Kawasaki superbike a win since 1975, Jesus Christ… 44 years ago, a few years ago, no brilliant to be fair.”


What was your thought when you suddenly saw a board which said P1?

Dean Harrison: “I knew there was something wrong when the lead had halved, obviously he’s having issues here, once I got P1 the lead just went from P1 plus 8s to P1 plus 30s and on the mountain I thought I got to short shift a bit.

“It’s hard to concentrate when that happens, when you’re in a battle with someone and it’s so close, but when something goes wrong with another competitor that you get such a big lead, it’s easy to have a lapse in concentration, so you really have to keep your mind in focus, on what you’re doing and what’s coming up, keeping the bike in the right rev range, as problems can occur around here. So I kept my head down and brought it home.”


IOMTT Superbike Race Start Dean Harrison
Dean Harrison at the Superbike Start

How would you sum up your TT overall, three podiums and a win?

Dean Harrison: “It’s absolutely brilliant, every class is so competitive now, I lost my way a little bit though mid-week, with the weather the way it’s been, I sorta lost a bit of momentum, I started real strong, and then my head went a little bit almost, and then it took a little bit to get me back into it.

“Yesterday with all the races I got back into the swing of things, and it’s great to get a win, where it’s six laps, two pit stops, it’s not a shortened race. The race yesterday, I take my hat off to Gary Thompson for the races we got in yesterday, as it was such a tight schedule and yesterday went absolutely seamless. It’s great to get it done for all the spectators, as the crowd around the track is absolutely massive, it’s great to see so much enthusiasm, with people waving over the fences, and sitting on the hedges.”


IOMTT Supersport Race Dean Harrison
Dean Harrison

Your bike worked flawlessly…

Dean Harrison: “Yea exactly, it’s a testament to the bike and the team to be fair. The bike never missed a beat the whole race. With the new bike, even we’ve got a new bik this year 2019 ZX-10RR and obviously cosmetically it looks very similar to the old bike, but engine wise it’s not, but the characteristics are quite different. And it took me quite a bit of getting used to. In the stock race, I had a few problems in the NW200 and sort of dialed that out for when we got here, and the Superbike is the same thing, it’s just a matter of time.”


You’ve won TT races before, but to win the Senior TT that must be really special?

Dean Harrison: “Everyone says it’s the biggest race of the fortnight, and me and Pete were saying last year that the Superbike and the Senior are very similar, since it’s the same bike, but for some reason the Senior is the blue ribbon race, but it’s great to get my hands on the trophy to be honest, and to go down as one of the names in history. I’m over the moon.”


How are you going to celebrate getting your hands on that grand ole lady?

Dean Harrison: “You don’t want to know!”

IOMTT Senior Dean Harrison Podium Peter Hickman Conor Cummins
2019 Senior TT Results
Dean Harrison
Peter Hickman +53.062
Conor Cummins  +58.879

2019 Senior TT Results

  1. Dean Harrison / Kawasaki
  2. Peter Hickman / BMW +53.062
  3. Conor Cummins / Honda  +58.879
  4. Michael Dunlop / BMW +1m26.709
  5. James Hillier / Kawasaki +2m30.352
  6. Davey Todd / BMW +2m32.920
  7. Michael Rutter / Honda +3m03.571
  8. Jamie Coward / Yamaha +3m13.561
  9. Brian McCormack / BMW +3m49.971
  10. Dominic Herbertson / Kawasaki +4m09.262
  11. Gary Johnson / Kawasaki +4m41.665
  12. Shaun Anderson / BMW +5m58.740
  13. Derek Sheils / Suzuki +6m07.744
  14. Mike Booth / Kawasaki +6m55.370
  15. Michael Sweeney / BMW +7m14.207
  16. Horst Saiger / Yamaha +7m15.358
  17. Mark Parrett / BMW +7m55.596
  18. Joe Akroyd / Kawasaki +8m00.702
  19. David Jackson / BMW +8m03.310
  20. Frank Gallagher / Kawasaki +8m05.124

Source: MCNews.com.au

Peter Hickman talks about TT 2019 and his problems

Peter Hickman Interview

Peter Hickman had a stellar 2019 IoM TT, claiming a Supersport win, Superbike win and just when it looked as though he would complete a trifecta in the Senior TT, mechanical gremlins struck the Smiths BMW and forced him to relinquish his lead to Dean Harrison. Hickman masterfully nursed the bike home to second place and MCNews.com.au was there to hear him reflect on TT 2019 immediately after the Senior race on Friday.

IOMTT Senior Peter Hickman
Peter Hickman

Peter, what could have been…

Peter Hickman: “It is what it is, can’t change it now, what is done is done. We had a really good start to the race, I think we did 134mph something on the first lap and on lap two. Slowly ticked away, bike was working really good, handling really good. Unfortunately after the second pit stop this returning issue that we keep having on the full superbike, it just keeps chucking water out, it doesn’t get hot or anything, but just starts throwing water out at anything over 11,000rpm.

“Once I left the pits and went down Grey Hill it was chucking water out, so I just had to kind of manage it, and basically use half throttle and no more than 11,000 rpm. So that’s two laps, at 50 per cent throttle, that was not very fun I can tell you.”

IOMTT Superstock Peter Hickman
Peter Hickman

That had happened on some of the practice runs didn’t it? So you got all the way through the first four laps of racing, you must have thought it was out of the way…

Peter Hickman: “Honestly, no, we all had this inkling that it was possibly going to happen, we’ve had three different engines, four different radiators, numerous caps, bottles, you name it it’s been changed, three or four times.

“For some reason on the superbike it just keeps doing it. Our hands were tied unfortunately, after the Superstock race, with the chief scrutineer we pleaded with them that he could just come and seal the engine and strip it after the Senior, but pretty much told us bollocks, so big shout out to Dave for ruining my Senior.


IOMTT Senior Harrison Hickman
Peter Hickman and Dean Harrison in Parc Ferme – Senior TT 2019

** Dean Harrison interjects to say ‘I like Dave’ to the sound of much laughter, while Hicky laughingly jokes about a conspiracy **


“It is what it is, rules are rules, but I think sometimes a little bit of common sense needs to come into it, but it is what it is. The team did a fantastic job and did everything they could to make the bike right for us. It managed four laps, just couldn’t quite manage six, we are still on the podium, we’ve had an absolute unbelievable TT, to come away with the hat trick for a start, win on the Supersport bike is something I’ve been trying to get for a while now, we’ve done that, and a podium in the Senior so it’s not all bad.”

IOMTT Supersport TT Peter Hickman
Peter Hickman – Trooper Triumph 675 Supersport – Image Pacemaker Press

And you’ll take away the fastest lap of the meeting, the opening lap in 16m51.495s, 143.28mph.

Peter Hickman: “Yea it’s fast isn’t it, especially for the lack of practice it’s quick. But honestly the new S 1000 RR is just so, so good, it’s only just come out of the box. It’s still a new bike, so to do that with no practice really at all…  yeah next year is going to be good.”


You’ve been strong in every class.

Peter Hickman: “It’s my sixth year now I’m getting used to the place now, and learning there I’m going. Looking forward to coming back next year and having another crack. BSB next weekend so not too much rest, we will concentrate back on the BSB for the rest of the year now and of course the Ulster GP in August.”

IOMTT Lightweight TT Peter Hickman Norton Twin
Peter Hickman on the Norton Lightweight TT bike – Image by Richard Sykes

2019 Senior TT Results

  1. Dean Harrison / Kawasaki
  2. Peter Hickman / BMW +53.062
  3. Conor Cummins / Honda  +58.879
  4. Michael Dunlop / BMW +1m26.709
  5. James Hillier / Kawasaki +2m30.352
  6. Davey Todd / BMW +2m32.920
  7. Michael Rutter / Honda +3m03.571
  8. Jamie Coward / Yamaha +3m13.561
  9. Brian McCormack / BMW +3m49.971
  10. Dominic Herbertson / Kawasaki +4m09.262

Source: MCNews.com.au

Conor Cummins on his Senior TT podium placing

Conor Cummins Interview

Conor Cummins edged out Michael Dunlop for the final position on the podium of the 2019 Senior TT at the Isle of Man, while still working towards that illusive sub-17min lap time over the famous mountain course. Here’s what he had to say following the Senior TT.

IOMTT Qualifying Sunday Conor Cummins
Conor Cummins

Conor, another big bike podium, a double big bike podium in 2018, and again in 2019.

Conor Cummins: “Yea I’m really happy with it, I just want to say a big thanks to Padgetts Racing team, they put great bikes underneath me. I got off to a steady start and just found a decent rhythm and Dean came past me at Sulby or somewhere, and I tagged onto the back of him and found a bit of a rhythm there.

“The bike was faultless, bit of an issue mid-race where I tried to manage it a little bit, but it wasn’t going to effect the result at all. It was just a bit of a handling problem we had, but we’ll get it sorted for next year. Looking forward to TT 2020.”


Mid-race you got into a big battle for position with Michael Dunlop.

Conor Cummins: “I was watching my boards a lot of the time and I managed to edge three-seconds on him, and just managed to build a bit of a cushion and I think I ended up with 20 plus seconds at the end. It’s a mega competitive field at the TT this year, so strong and to get on the podium I’m really happy, and again a big thanks to the Padgetts Racing team for all their efforts.”

IOMTT Race Superbike Cummins
Conor Cummins

That sub-17 minute lap still a target for you?

Conor Cummins: “Yea, yea it is, maybe with a bit more practice I’d probably go sub 17min I think. The fact is I haven’t done it, so we’ll just work on next year and come back stronger.”

IOMTT Senior Podium Harrison Hickman Cummins
2019 Senior TT Results
Dean Harrison / Kawasaki
Peter Hickman / BMW +53.062
Conor Cummins / Honda  +58.879

2019 Senior TT Results

  1. Dean Harrison / Kawasaki
  2. Peter Hickman / BMW +53.062
  3. Conor Cummins / Honda  +58.879
  4. Michael Dunlop / BMW +1m26.709
  5. James Hillier / Kawasaki +2m30.352
  6. Davey Todd / BMW +2m32.920
  7. Michael Rutter / Honda +3m03.571
  8. Jamie Coward / Yamaha +3m13.561
  9. Brian McCormack / BMW +3m49.971
  10. Dominic Herbertson / Kawasaki +4m09.262

Source: MCNews.com.au