Dean Harrison got his 2017 road racing season underway in fine style at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough on Saturday with the Silicone Engineering Kawasaki rider taking a hat-trick of victories.

Overnight rain meant it was a damp start to proceedings but when racing got underway slightly later than scheduled at just before 3pm, conditions were clear and it was the Supersport race that gave Harrison his first win. Cut to six laps, Harrison grabbed the holeshot to lead Daley Mathison (Eddie Stobart Suzuki) and Dan Hegarty (Top Gun Racing Honda) at the end of the first lap and he continually extended his lead over the duration of the race.

By half race distance, his advantage was up to three seconds and all eyes fell on the battle for second, Hegarty going ahead of Mathison on lap four. However, a lap later Mathison was back in front and as Harrison took the chequered flag by over five seconds, he held on for second with Hegarty just behind in third.

Ivan Lintin (Dafebet Devitt Racing Kawasaki) took fourth, despite riding with an injured hand and overshooting Farm Bends on the second lap, ahead of Jamie Coward (Radcliffe Racing Honda) and with James Cowton going out at the end of the fifth lap, Mick Goodings came through to sixth.

Harrison made it two wins from two starts in the Open race with another start to finish victory. Riding the Superstock ZX-10R Kawasaki, he was under pressure from Hegarty on the ex-Conor Cummins Honda in the early stages before pulling away in the second half of the race. He eventually took the chequered flag by almost five seconds from Hegarty with Lee Johnston, out on his own 2015 Superstock BMW, in a lonely third.

Coward had an equally lonely ride into fourth with Mathison coming through from the back row of the grid to fifth. Goodings again took sixth with Lintin riding his 2017 Supertwin machine into 12th, using the race to test his all-new mount.

Harrison duly completed his hat-trick in the Senior but he had to work harder on this occasion as pole man Hegarty grabbed the holeshot and led for the first two laps. Lap three saw the Silicone Engineering Kawasaki hit the front and although Hegarty stuck to his rear wheel initially, he had to settle for second.

Mathison and Johnstone had a good battle for third, crossing the line in that order, with Coward and Lintin rounding out the top six.

Cowton had better fortune in the Super Lightweight race, taking the win after Lintin made an uncharacteristic mistake and crashed out at the Memorial on the third lap, whilst there were also victories for Adrian Harrison (Junior B), Joey Thompson (Open B) (Lightweight) and (Ultra-Lightweight).

Dave Molyneux/Dan Sayle had started as favourites for the two Formula Two sidecar races but a blown engine in practice put paid to their hopes and the race wins were taken by Lee Crawford/Jake Lowther and Steve and Matty Ramsden, Crawford denied a double when his engine lost power on the penultimate lap of the second race.

Phil Wain