Hicky targets six TT wins
■ Fastest ever road racer is hungry for more with his proven Smiths team
It’s fair to say that Peter Hickman has absolutely no plans of resting on his laurels. Yes, he may be the world’s best roads racer and serial BSB showdown contender, but put simply that’s not enough for the popular star.
Now 33 years old, he’s arguably at the height of his powers and he and his Smiths Racing team are not only focused on continuing their roads domination but also a step up in form in British Superbikes.
When it comes to the roads, expectations are high – although he will have to wait until next year – and why wouldn’t they be, given his winning form at all the international events. While his big bike form is undisputable, Hicky’s aiming for more success with his new Ten Kate tuned Yamaha R6 in Supersport and all-new Norton for the Lightweight class.
Start six, win six
“The aim is to win everything we start, so if we enter six races we want to win six races,” explains Hickman. “I would have won four last year if I hadn’t had the technical problem in the Senior. There are only a few riders to have done four in a week (Phillip McCallen, Ian Hutchinson and Michael Dunlop- ed) so to do that means you join a very elite group.”
And the bad news for his rivals is that Hickman believes that not only is he still getting better, he also plans to be around for a long time.
“Every day is a school day. I’m older than a lot of the guys running at the front, but I’m not ready to start going slower! I’d like to keep going for five or ten years.
No TT is a ‘kick in the balls’
“Every rider has their peak and that’s what makes the cancellation of the TT and all the other racing so disappointing, because you need to make hay when the sun shines. Not everything is about money, but there is some big prize money at the TT and there are obviously some good wages. Obviously the risks are very high, which is why the money is there. So for me, who happens to be the man winning at the moment, it’s a big kick in the balls. There are only so many years that you can be winning TTs for and I’ve just lost one as has Dean Harrison and all the other guys.”
Winning aspirations in British Superbikes
Given his levels of success, it is no surprise that Hickman has become synonymous with road racing, so much so that it is easy to overlook the pure speed he has shown week in, week out in the British Superbike championship. While a selection of the best road riders use BSB as a tool to stay sharp, Hickman is a genuine contender with ambitions far higher than just staying bike fit.
“I’ve been in the Showdown for three years on the trot and top BMW so I want to continue that trend, even if we’re not BMW’s official BSB team. My downfall is that although I’ve been consistent I haven’t been consistently on the podium. I need to be consistently on the podium and in the battle for the win.”
In 2019, Hickman finished sixth in BSB having secured a podium and eight top five finishes. While clearly competitive, he needs to take a significant step in 2020 and beyond if he is to meet his podium and win targets. But while there is clearly work to do, there are technical changes which make being more competitive a very realistic proposition for him.
Only getting faster
“Last year we ran stock engines but now we have factory engines from BMW and that will be a big step forwards. More power will make a bigger difference in BSB [than on the roads] because everything is a lot tighter. We’re hoping for at least an extra 10bhp and a step like that can make a big difference. We also ran a standard gearbox in roads and in BSB last year, which on the roads was fine but in BSB it was quite an issue as it meant I was in between gears a lot. For this year we’ve got race gearbox so we’ll be better for gearing and the performance will be slicker.”
Braking better
Another area of focus is braking, which has been an issue that plagued him throughout 2019. “It’s not the performance of the brakes themselves, it’s the way the bike reacts. When I’m braking the rear wheel wants to come off the floor, which means you’re not slowing down. We improved it in testing but it’s one thing being by yourself to being in a race. We were looking forward to the Silverstone test but it didn’t happen.”
For now though Hickman and the Smiths Racing team remain all dressed up with nowhere to go. Hickman admits to having no idea as to whether he’ll get to race in 2020, but what is clear is that he will be on an even better bike, with the same talent and hunger, making him a fearsome opponent for his rivals.
‘I’ve been in the Showdown for three years on the trot and top BMW’