Rc racing, dean Harrison report
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 6:33 pm
Highs and lows for Harrison and RC Express at Ulster GP
Dean Harrison and the RC Express Racing by MSS Performance team experienced the highs and lows of motorcycle racing at the weekend’s Ulster Grand Prix when a superb podium finish in the Superstock race was followed in the next race by a heavy spill which has left him nursing a number of injuries including a broken wrist, dislocated shoulder and four broken ribs.
The festival started well for Dean in Thursday’s Dundrod 150 Superbike race when a superb start on the ZX-10R Kawasaki saw him complete the first lap in third place and for the entire five-lap race, he battled with Michael and William Dunlop and Lee Johnston for the final podium position. Although Michael Dunlop eventually took the third place, Dean successfully saw off the challenges of the other two riders and with a new personal best lap of the course, 133.217mph, he took an excellent fourth place.
Saturday’s Ulster Grand Prix race day got off to a brilliant start when Dean took second in the Superstock although he was denied victory by the unbelievably close margin of 0.001s, Manxman Dan Kneen getting the better of him. Having grabbed the lead on the opening lap, Dean, Kneen and Bruce Anstey were never more than half a second apart with positions changing all the time and on each and every lap.
The lead changed hands on no less than five occasions on the final lap but Kneen’s intermediate tyres were helping him be stronger on the final third of the circuit, from the hairpin to the start and finish. Indeed, Dean re-took the lead on the final lap at the hairpin only for Kneen to close in on the run to the line and they flashed across the start and finish line side by side with an anxious wait for the timekeeper’s verdict. It went to Kneen but the result was still Dean’s, and the team’s, best ever result at the Ulster GP.
However, from the high of a rostrum came the season’s low in the following Supersport race when Dean, riding the Mar-Train Racing Yamaha, crashed heavily at Ireland’s with, ironically, Kneen also going down. The race was subsequently red flagged with Dean taken to hospital in Belfast where his recovery will now start.
Ben Constable, Team Co-owner: “Dundrod’s proving to be a bit of a bogey circuit for us and there’s always something that seems to spoil the meeting for us. Dean’s crash and subsequent injuries have obviously put a downer on the results he achieved on the RC Express Racing machines but things had been going really well up until that point. His 133mph lap on Thursday showed what pace he had and what he was capable of whilst he couldn’t have done any more in the Superstock race. To lose out by such a small margin is a tough one to take but it was a great podium and we’re all just wishing him a speedy recovery now so he can get back out on a bike as soon as possible.”
Dean Harrison and the RC Express Racing by MSS Performance team experienced the highs and lows of motorcycle racing at the weekend’s Ulster Grand Prix when a superb podium finish in the Superstock race was followed in the next race by a heavy spill which has left him nursing a number of injuries including a broken wrist, dislocated shoulder and four broken ribs.
The festival started well for Dean in Thursday’s Dundrod 150 Superbike race when a superb start on the ZX-10R Kawasaki saw him complete the first lap in third place and for the entire five-lap race, he battled with Michael and William Dunlop and Lee Johnston for the final podium position. Although Michael Dunlop eventually took the third place, Dean successfully saw off the challenges of the other two riders and with a new personal best lap of the course, 133.217mph, he took an excellent fourth place.
Saturday’s Ulster Grand Prix race day got off to a brilliant start when Dean took second in the Superstock although he was denied victory by the unbelievably close margin of 0.001s, Manxman Dan Kneen getting the better of him. Having grabbed the lead on the opening lap, Dean, Kneen and Bruce Anstey were never more than half a second apart with positions changing all the time and on each and every lap.
The lead changed hands on no less than five occasions on the final lap but Kneen’s intermediate tyres were helping him be stronger on the final third of the circuit, from the hairpin to the start and finish. Indeed, Dean re-took the lead on the final lap at the hairpin only for Kneen to close in on the run to the line and they flashed across the start and finish line side by side with an anxious wait for the timekeeper’s verdict. It went to Kneen but the result was still Dean’s, and the team’s, best ever result at the Ulster GP.
However, from the high of a rostrum came the season’s low in the following Supersport race when Dean, riding the Mar-Train Racing Yamaha, crashed heavily at Ireland’s with, ironically, Kneen also going down. The race was subsequently red flagged with Dean taken to hospital in Belfast where his recovery will now start.
Ben Constable, Team Co-owner: “Dundrod’s proving to be a bit of a bogey circuit for us and there’s always something that seems to spoil the meeting for us. Dean’s crash and subsequent injuries have obviously put a downer on the results he achieved on the RC Express Racing machines but things had been going really well up until that point. His 133mph lap on Thursday showed what pace he had and what he was capable of whilst he couldn’t have done any more in the Superstock race. To lose out by such a small margin is a tough one to take but it was a great podium and we’re all just wishing him a speedy recovery now so he can get back out on a bike as soon as possible.”