Isle of Man TT: Hickman claims maiden victory with Superstock success

Peter Hickman celebrates after setting a new class lap record of 134.403mph on his way to victory

Peter Hickman clinched his first TT win by taking victory in a sensational record-breaking four-lap Superstock TT.

The Lincolnshire rider set a new class lap record at 134.403mph on his final circuit to win by 4.5 seconds from Michael Dunlop, with Dean Harrison third.

Smith's Racing BMW rider Hickman also demolished the race record by almost a minute as he came out on top after a thrilling duel, which saw the top three exchange the lead on several occasions.

Hickman, 31, had previously finished on the podium on six occasions, including coming third in Monday's Supersport race, which was won by Dunlop.

The Louth man joins an exclusive club of riders to lap the Mountain Course in under 17 minutes, of which his two rivals for victory in this race were the only two previous members.

Hickman lay in a lowly 10th position in the early stages of the race after overshooting at Braddan but battled his way back into contention to occupy third position by the end of the lap.

Silicone Engineering Kawasaki pilot Harrison enjoyed a 4.5-second advantage over Dunlop following the first circuit but Hickman led Harrison by 1.2 seconds after lap two, with Dunlop a further 1.8 seconds behind.

Both Hickman and Dunlop were inside Ian Hutchinson's previous lap record, with the Englishman lapping at 134.077.

Michael Dunlop finished second to Peter Hickman in the Superstock race, having earlier won the Supersport race 1

An epic struggle for supremacy unfolded over the final 75 miles with just fractions of a second separating the leading trio.

Hickman's staggering final lap proved enough to secure his maiden success and add a TT triumph to his already glittering CV.

He has already achieved four Ulster Grand Prix wins, two Macau Grand Prix victories, a British Superbike race win and a fourth place overall finish in last year's BSB series.

An indifferent start to this season sees him 15th in this season's British Superbike standings, but a win in the Superstock category at last month's North West 200 has proved a confidence booster.

Hickman was Best TT Newcomer in 2014 and won the TT Championship Award for the man of the meeting 12 months ago thanks to five rostrum results.

"I made such a mistake on the brakes at Braddan when I went straight on and I thought I'd blown it," said the race winner.

"I just got my head down and that is the hardest I've ever ridden a bike round here. This means a lot, especially to win on a big bike and massive credit to the Smith's team - the bike was awesome and didn't miss a beat."

Australian David Johnson, James Hillier and Michael Rutter completed the top six.

Lee Johnston, Conor Cummins and Gary Johnson were among the notable retirements.