Dean Harrison put the hammer down to take his first Isle of Man TT victory after a dominant performance in the Lightweight Race .
Harrison, whose father Conrad took his first TT victory in the week’s first Sidecar race, lead the entire race, holding a slim lead at Glen Helen on the first lap over fast starting James Cowton and on-the-road leader, James Hillier. By the time the leaders had made it through Ballaugh, Hillier had moved up to second and Oliver Lindsell, aboard the new Paton S1, was holding third, with Cowton just 0.011 seconds behind in fourth.
The majority of the front runners decided to make their pitstop on the first lap, with Harrison pulling out an advantage across the opening 37.73 miles, holding a 9.6 second lead over Hillier at the Grandstand, with Cowton back in to third position. Following quick pit work from their crews, the leaders stormed down Bray Hill for the second time, with the gap between Harrison and Hillier holding station all the way around to Ballaugh.
By the time they’d reached Ramsey, however, Harrison had pulled up to 12 seconds ahead, before gaining another 2.5 seconds between Ramsey and the Bungalow. The top three seemed relatively secure as they began their third and final lap, with Harrison leading Hillier and Cowton, while Keith Amor, Jamie Hamilton and Lindsell rounded out the top six.
It was a case of managing the gap – and the fuel tank – for Harrison on the final lap, despite what looked like a strong lap from Hillier, eventually coming through to take the win by 14.6 seconds over Hillier, with Cowton rounding out the podium positions.
The result means that Dean and Conrad Harrison join the likes of Robert and Michael Dunlop, Tony and David Jefferies and Tony and Michael Rutter as father and son TT winners, but also became the first father and son pairing to ever win TTs at the same meeting.
