HICKY’S TT WIN
Peter Hickman is the fastest man ever around the Isle of Man’s TT course, and he’s also the last man to win there on a Triumph. We chewed the fat about his epic victory on the Daytona…
How good was the Triumph compared to your rivals in terms of top speed and handling?
“We were down on top speed, and that always showed on the speed traps, but I’d say I probably had more grunt off the corners… I just lost out in the long-run. I suppose it didn’t help with me being a bit bigger than everyone else, especially when you’re against smaller riders like Lee Johnston. When it came to handling though, the bike was really, really good; I always felt like I could carry more corner speed, brake later and literally place the bike exactly where I wanted to… I could run rings around people in the corners – we just lost out in a straight line.”
When you go back to the TT, will you race a Triumph in the Supersport class?
“I honestly don’t know at the moment; it all depends what happens with the rules. The plan for 2020 was to race a Yamaha
R6, for the simple fact that it’s faster in a straight line and I was having to ride the Triumph so hard to win. But if the rules change and they allow the new 765 in, then we’ll go with that. They seem to be very competitive and doing a good job in British Supersport at the moment. I couldn’t use the 675; it was three years old when I raced it in 2019.”
Which section of the TT did the Triumph 675 work best?
“Honestly, it was good everywhere, there isn’t a place it where it didn’t work well. If I had to pick one place, it’d probably be through Ballacraine and the tight, twisty section. Every bike is enjoyable to ride around the TT, but the smaller bikes are always so much fun. You find yourself riding them so much harder to get the same result; you have to carry so much corner speed and use more of the circuit, so you almost have to risk a lot more.”