TT 2018: Hickman wins Senior with record 135mph lap

Peter Hickman made history with a stunning 135mph lap as he won the blue riband Senior TT on Friday.

The Smiths Racing BMW rider set a new outright lap record of 135.452mph on the final lap to defeat Dean Harrison by just two seconds.

Race and sector records were all obliterated as the pair battled for the historic trophy in a sensational finale to the two-week festival.

Harrison had led the race all the way until the Bungalow on the sixth and final lap, when he was caught by the hard-charging Hickman, who added a Senior triumph to his stunning victory in the Superstock race on Monday.

Hickman had established a new outright record of 134.456mph at the end of the fourth lap as he kept up his relentless pursuit of Harrison, before he really upped the ante on his final circuit, cracking the 135mph barrier for the first time despite behind held up by slower riders through Kirk Michael.

Harrison had opened a gap of 5.7 seconds at Ballaugh on the last lap, but Hickman reduced the deficit to two seconds by Ramsey and moved ahead for the first time by 0.8 seconds at the Bungalow.

The BSB rider made his superiority over the Mountain count as he powered home for a hard-earned victory.

Superbike winner Michael Dunlop (Tyco BMW) had been third on lap one at Glen Helen behind Harrison and Hickman, but the Ballymoney man slipped behind Cummins at Ballaugh and was unable to challenge for the rostrum.

Dunlop held fourth throughout as he finished the race ahead of Norton’s Josh Brookes, while Gary Johnson clinched sixth on the RAF Reserves Kawasaki.

Martin Jessopp (Riders Motorcycles BMW) finished seventh followed by Jamie Coward on the Penz13 BMW, with newcomer Davey Todd finishing the race in a magnificent ninth place on the Burrows Engineering Racing Suzuki.

Todd set his best lap from a standing start at 128.379mph to seal his place as the second fastest TT newcomer ever behind Hickman, who lapped at 129mph on his debut in 2014.

Sam West (PRL BMW) had been in contention for the top six when he was ruled out on lap five, while Phil Crowe crashed at Whitegates on the final lap as he held seventh place, escaping injury.

James Hillier, fourth at Glen Helen on the opening lap, retired from the race shortly afterwards at Westwood.

David Johnson was also forced out at the end of lap one on the Gulf BMW, with Honda Racing’s Lee Johnston pulling out after the second lap. His Honda team-mate, Ian Hutchinson, retired after the second pit stop.

Swedish rider Bjorn Gunnarsson had an accident at Glen Tramman and was taken by airmed to Nobles hospital and treated for bruising, while Dom Herbertson (Laurel Bank), Mike Norbury (Keppel Gate), Michael Mylchreest (Gorse Lea) and Philip Crowe (Whitegates) also came off their machines during the race but all were reported as unhurt.