BRADFORD motorcycle racer Dean Harrison has questioned why his sport does not get the recognition he feels it deserves, given the effort it takes and the spectacle it provides.

The former Hanson School pupil can at least content himself with the fact that he is one of three nominees for Sportsman of The Year at the Bradford Sports Awards, alongside World Cup winning cricketer Adil Rashid and Great Britain triathlete Andrew Dovernor.

It is deserved recognition for Harrison from his home city, given that he won the iconic Senior TT Race on the Isle of Man last June, a victory he compared to being like "winning the Premier League".

Keen to give his sport more of a platform, and a better name, Harrison said: "It's nice to get recognised (by the Bradford Sports Awards) as you don't see a lot of bike stuff in the local papers, even though we have a lot of competitions.

"It baffles me why it's not recognised, because for me it's one of the most exciting sports there is. It is dangerous, but then everything's dangerous, you'll have two people a week being killed driving a car on the M62 for example.

"Bikes are definitely dangerous in the wrong hands, like when people steal off-road ones and do wheelies. They're just thugs and I wish they wouldn't get branded as a "biker" as it gives us a bad name.

"(But even as a professional) I've broken my wrists and arms many a time and riders have always had stories of their excursions off track, it's just part of racing and when you're pushing yourself to the limit."

Harrison was right on the limit when he reached the pinnacle of his career so far last summer, with the aforementioned victory at the Isle of Man TT.

It was a stunning effort from the Bradford man, who bounced back brilliantly from the agony of finishing as runner-up the year before.

Asked about his success, Harrison said: "It's definitely one of my best wins yet, as it's the biggest road race in history.

"It's like winning the Premier League really, but obviously not quite on the same scale.

"I'll be doing the TT again in 2020, as well as the North West 200 in May (the Coleraine race is the largest outdoor sporting event in the whole of Ireland).

"There's also the British Superbikes Championship and then a road race in Scarborough at Oliver's Mount, which is the only one on a public road in England.

"I'll do some off-roading too. I've actually just been to get a few new bits on my enduro bike to make sure it's a-okay ahead of the new season.

"I got that done at Eurotek in Ripon. They're great, as they sell me the bikes, look after it, do it up and sponsor me as well."

Harrison had not long returned to England when speaking to the T&A, after undertaking some pre-season work in Spain.

He laughed: "It never stops. I've just got back from Spain, where I did a lot of testing in Jerez.

"But I do plenty of that in England too, as I get to do a bit of winter testing at places like Tong too."

Bradford, Ripon, Northern Ireland, The Isle of Man, Spain. Wherever Harrison is in the world, motorbikes are never far from the forefront of his mind.

And if he can have the success this year that he did in 2019, he won't mind that one bit.