Under ideal conditions on the Isle of Man, Peter Hickman enjoyed an epic battle with James Hillier to bring the Trooper Triumph Supersport home in P2.
Lap one saw a steady start for Hickman running in P4 behind a lightning-quick Harrison, Dunlop, and Hillier. Keeping his head down he pushed the gap to just 0.129 from Hillier by Ramsey Hairpin. Finally gaining the position after Cronk ny Mona and setting the fastest speed at Grandstand speed trap of 158.9
Lap two gave Hickman no time to breathe with an epic battle taking place to retain his position ahead of Hillier the gap an incredibly tight 0.662 as the riders came through Ramsey hairpin for the second time. As the duo swapped position, it all came down to the pitstop.
Opting to start on the harder tyre gave the Smiths BMW team a slight advantage over Dunlop running in P2, and Hickman left the pits with a fraction advantage over Hillier. Dunlop incurred a 30 second penalty in the pits, pushing Peter into 2nd with a 1.496 lead on P3. Hickman pulled away from Hillier in the final lap, but with an 18.393 gap to Harrison the Louth based rider crossed the line in P2 taking Smiths Racing to their 7th podium from 8 starts in the last 12 months Final lap: 127.386 (17:46.273)
Peter Hickman “I knew Dunlop and Harrison were fast on these little bikes, so I am made up with P2. The Trooper Triumph goes so well, she’s been hard work during the practice week, but the Smiths BMW team have worked hard to make sure she delivered during both races. I can’t thank the team enough. We’ve had a podium in every race we’ve finished in the last 12 months which is great for the sponsors, the team and myself. The Dunlop tyres are mega, and I opted for the harder tyre because the softer wouldn’t have made a difference on the result for me. On the last lap, I pulled a gap on Hiller, chilled out and enjoyed the ride around the Isle of Man TT course.”
