TT 2016: Harrison overcomes oil leak for Supersport podium

Dean Harrison managed to overcome an oil leak to cruise to his third podium of the week in yesterday’s second Supersport race at the Isle of Man TT.

The Silicone Engineering Kawasaki rider considered pulling in when he noticed a misting of oil on his foot peg during the opening lap, but realising the issue was not affecting his machine, he continued on until his pit stop when he realised the problem was not as major as first thought.

Harrison’s third place marks his third podium this week, after two second place finishes in the first Supersport race and Superstock outing on Monday.

“I had an oil leak from the first lap on, like a misting, but apart from that the bike hasn’t missed a bit,” said Harrison. “I was considering pulling in but I saw P3 plus six so I carried on a bit longer to see how it was. The last thing you want around here is an oil leak and I thought I’d be losing loads of time but my next pit board said I’d stayed the same. Once I got to the pits the boys had a look and realised it wasn’t too bad, just going straight onto the foot peg so I wedged my foot between the exhaust and swing arm.

“I rode a Yamaha last year and never finished a race! The Kawasaki has done me well this year, it’s never missed a bit. It’s been the most reliable bike I’ve ever ridden.