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Peter Hickman says his record Ulster Grand Prix run was "magical"

Peter Hickman branded his record seven successive wins and five-in-a-day success at the 2019 Ulster Grand Prix as "magical", and praised his "faultless" Smiths Racing team

Hickman became the first rider to win all seven races they entered at the Ulster GP, and matched Irish road racing legend Phillip McCallen's 23-year-old record of scoring five victories in a day.

The Smiths rider also re-established the Ulster GP as the world's fastest road race, taking that honour away from the Isle of Man TT - which he set in 2018 - in Thursday's first Superbike race with a lap of 136.415mph.

Speaking to Autosport after securing his seventh victory of the week in the feature SBK race, the 2019 Ulster GP 'Man of the Meeting' winner said: "To be able to get seven in a week, five in a day, is pretty special.

"It's been absolutely awesome, the team's been absolutely faultless.

"We've gone that fast we've even blown some stickers off the bike!

"So it's been a magical week, and thank you ever so much to the team and the sponsors, and the boys worked their asses off for me.

"It's me that gets to have all the glory, but really it's them that get me here."

This was the first road race of the year Hickman didn't have a technical issue with the new BMW in SBK-spec, and warned his Dundrod romp is only the beginning of what's possible.

Harrison going "back to the drawing board"

Dean Harrison was runner-up in all three SBK races, though was a retirement from the only Superstock contest and had to miss Saturday's Supersport races due to an engine issue.

The two-time Ulster GP winner and former lap record holder conceded he simply didn't have the pace on the Silicone Engineering Kawasaki SBK this week, and will now "go back to the drawing board".

"It's been good, the team worked really good, the Superbike's been good," this year's Senior TT winner said.

"[We had] a few niggly issues to be fair, but obviously we've not got the pace this week.

"So we'll have to go back to the drawing board and have another look."

Harrison only completed three races on Saturday, but isn't convinced a lack of track time hindered him in the final SBK race.

"Let's be honest, no one's beaten him, so why would I?" he told Autosport. "We got closer than we did all week."

He believes he could have had a better shot at winning the second SBK race when he gambled on an intermediate rear while the rest went for full wets.

However, he struggled on the wet patches and Hickman was able to escape.

"I thought why not take a gamble," Harrison added. "I was really cautious on the first couple of laps.

"Peter came past so strong in the wet bits, there was nothing I could do because the inter rear just doesn't bite through the wet."

Images courtesy of Pacemaker Press

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