BRADFORD motorcycle racer Dean Harrison made it a perfect five wins from five in the Classic Superbike ranks, as he dominated the action to lift the Barry Sheene Trophy last weekend at Oliver’s Mount.

It was a pretty remarkable achievement, given that he had not raced in months due to the coronavirus pandemic and on top of that, he was riding a new bike for the first time, a Kawasaki ZXR750 for the Greenall Racing team.

Having twice won convincingly on the Saturday, by around 20 seconds on both occasions, Harrison did not have it all his own way the following day.

He was forced to come from behind on two occasions on the Sunday in order to overhaul the stern challenge of Yamaha rider David Bell.

Bell made lightning fast starts in those races, but Harrison managed to keep in touch, staying within a second in both, before eventually powering to victory.

Harrison was able to win the blue riband Barry Sheene Classic race convincingly though, leading that from lights to flag.

Discussing his successful return to the track with the Telegraph & Argus, Harrison said: “I can’t complain, it was just nice to get back on the bike for the first road race of the year and get back at it.

“It was nice to see a few spectators out to watch us too, it just felt like a bit of normality returning.”

Asked about the challenges of the new Kawasaki, he said: “It was nice to be on the new bike.

“You don’t always know exactly what to expect but it did not miss a beat all week.

“Once I’d dialled it in it was fine.”

Discussing the track at Oliver’s Mount, one that frequently holds motorcycle events, as well as the weekend conditions, Harrison added: “The weather wasn’t 100 per cent, as it was a bit rainy, which made the track a little slippy.

“But it was nearly dry and besides, everyone’s in the same boat with the track conditions, so you’ve just got to get on with it.

“It’s only a little track at Oliver’s Mount, it’s quite technical with plenty of hairpins. It’s quite a physical track to ride at too, and it involves a lot of hard braking.

“It’s the Gold Cup there too in September, so hopefully the weather conditions will be better for that anyway.”

Many motorcycle riders cite Barry Sheene as their inspiration for getting into the sport, with the two-time world champion dominating the scene in the late 1970s.

Asked what it is like to win a trophy bearing the great man’s name, Harrison said: “Obviously he’s someone I’ve heard a lot about and someone that you look up to a lot in this sport.

“It’s nice to be able to win this trophy and it’s a great bit of memorabilia to have.”

Harrison does not have too much time to bask in the glory of his incredible couple of days at Oliver’s Mount though.

The former Hanson School pupil is back in action this weekend, as he confirmed to the T&A that he would be racing in the Superstock 1000 at Snetterton.