Dean Harrison wins 500cc Classic TT

DEAN Harrison, riding the Black Eagle Racing MV Agusta, has won the 500cc Classic TT race over four laps of the Isle of Man TT course.

Harrison took an early lead on the opening lap ahead of Ian Lougher on-board the Giovanni Cabassi Paton, and finished 26 seconds ahead. Harrison’s team-mate Lee Johnston took the final podium position.

The Paton trio of John McGuinness, Ryan Farquhar and Lougher were the pre-race favourites, but with the phrase ‘to finish first you first have to finish’ ringing in everyone's ears whilst riding these classic bikes.

Welshman Lougher was still in the running after winning in 2014. However, Lougher didn’t learn from his mistakes of 2014 and was hit with a thirty second pit penalty after speeding in pit lane after refueling at the end of the first lap.

McGuinness and Farquhar were the first two to Glen Helen on the opening lap with Dean Harrison splitting the Patons with Lougher in fourth. The Team Winfield pair were experiencing problems as McGuinness had dropped to fifth by Ballaugh and then retired at Parliament Square where he was joined by Farquhar leaving Dean Harrison at the front at Ramsey from Lougher with Lee Johnston third followed by Michael Dunlop and Dan Cooper.

Harrison’s opening lap of 110.463 gave him a 15 second lead from Lougher at the end of the opening lap and with Lougher’s pit stop and penalty the lead was extended to well over a minute from the Welshman by Glen Helen on the second lap.

Harrison’s team-mate Johnston was 18 seconds behind him with Dunlop in third. Lougher moved up to fourth with Danny Webb in fifth.

Harrison remained at the top of the timesheets on lap three after pitting ahead of Dunlop by three second, but Johnston had dropped to third, 14 seconds behind Dunlop. Lougher was now only four seconds behind Johnston with Danny Webb completining the top five.

Lougher moved up into second place at the end of the third lap, but Harrison’s lead was up to 25 seconds. Harrison brought the MV home with a 108.855mph lap from Lougher with Johnston taking the final place. Dunlop retired at the Mountain Box on the last lap leaving Jamie Coward on the Craven Honda to take fourth place.

Johannes Van de Pol came off at Tower Bends and was taken by airmed to Nobles Hospital where he was reported to have leg fractures.