Dean Harrison’s second place in the opening superbike race at the North West 200 was frustrated that he couldn’t pass the lead.
Davy Todd won the opening Superbike race. The 8ten BMW rider describes it as a “special” victory.
Harrison was Todd’s closest challenger during the race, but every time he tried to get out of the slipstream he was unable to reach the front as a result of a straight line stability issue.
“I took him (Hickman) to York on lap one, he kind of overshots and we both got bigger.
“But I was really struggling to make a pass. I had a slipstream and I was so buffeted.”
He added: “I sat there trying to figure out where I was going to pass him. I was struggling. I thought, ‘I’d go to Juniper on my last lap.’
“I was having a hard time getting a drive out of Black Hill to get behind him, so I’ll have to see it on Saturday.”
Harrison was happy with second place, but “It was a good start to the week, and thanks to everyone at Honda, they gave me a great bike.”
“Struggling to Shift” in Super Stock Race 1
Harrison was back on the podium of the Superstock race, which he missed out in fourth place in SuperSport.
He admitted he had a bad start and went back to fifth or so in the first corner.
The British rider of Honda Racing ended up second and passing Ian Hutchinson after Hickman ran long on the Maghelabois.
“I didn’t get off to a very good start. I went back to the eighth and thought, ‘There’s work I’m going to try here,'” Harrison said after the Superstock race.
“Pete (Peter Hickman) overshots on a Maghelaboi and then Davie (Todd) overshots in college.
“And then I had nothing left in the end, so that was it, that was it.
Harrison added that technical issues cost him training time on the Superstock bike, and that he had a hard time shifting in the first three gears.
“I missed half of my (practicing) session on the Superstock bike, so there was a bit of a technical problem.
“I was struggling to shift. The first three gears I’m struggling with, so I’ll have to go back to the drawings tomorrow and smooth it out a bit on Saturday.”
