Peter Hickman

Louth rider Peter Hickman rode his Ultimate Racing Yamaha R1 to a fine points finish in round eight of the 2008 Metzeler National Superstock championship at Knockhill on Sunday.

Hicky was not really relishing the thought of racing at Knockhill, as the Scottish circuit is not one of his more favoured circuits. But he managed to qualify in 14th place to start the race from the fourth row. He was unable to make any progress in the early stages and fell back as far as 18th before making a move back through the midfielders.

He gradually made up places to compete his race in 13th place and pick up a further three championship points, bringing his total to 60 - the same as his race number!

He now holds seventh place in the rider points table and is looking forward to the next race at his home circuit of Cadwell Park.

“I am pleased I got a few points but I cant understand why I am just not fast around this circuit. I quite enjoy it but can’t seem to get and speed around here.

“We made a few changes from the warm up to the race and luckily they did work but being mid-pack off the start didn’t help really as I kept getting blocked all the time. There was also an awful lot of spray so visibility was a problem but other than that I am pleased I was able to at least finish the race.”

Next round - Cadwell Park - August 25.

A rain shower prior to the start of the European Superstock 1000 race spoilt the event for Louth rider Peter Hickman when he opted for the wrong choice of tyres for the 14-lap race at Brands Hatch on Sunday. Although he started from the inside of the second row, Hicky began to drop back as the track dried and finished the race in 17th place, just outside a points scoring position.

Qualifying had seen the 21-year-old Lincolnshire rider secure a fine eighth position - although it could have been even better. Hicky explained: “I was seventh in first qualifying and I knew there was more to come so was quite pleased the second session was completely dry.

The bike is working really well; I did half the final session on old tyres so dropped from seventh all the way down to 21st. But with seven minutes to go I pitted for a new tyre and did my out lap before going for a quick one. I was P1 at the first sector and then the red flag came out so I was slightly annoyed to say the least.

“When we got out again there were four and a half minutes left and I went out first to go as fast as I could and here we are in eighth place. But for the red flag it could have been a lot better but I know I am there or thereabouts.”

But as the race start approached the heavens opened and a heavy shower wetted the track. Tyre choice was always going to be a lottery as it would perhaps dry on the straights but would remain wet around the corners and under the trees.

Hicky opted for a full wet on the front and an intermediate on the rear. But by the time the race got underway the rain had stopped and a dry line was beginning to form.

It soon became apparent that he had gone the wrong way with tyre choice as the riders on slicks began to take advantage of the drying track, leaving Hicky to run wide in search of wet tarmac to keep his tyre cool.

But as race progressed he fell back to eventually complete the 14 laps in 17th place and said: “I didn’t get the best of starts and dropped back to 10th at Surtees on the first lap. But I soon made it back through to eighth and was looking to move further forward. By lap two I was up to seventh but then the front tyre began to show signs of wear and I knew my race was effectively over unless we got some more rain.

“I am disappointed both for myself and the team really as we had high hopes of a good result here.”

Hicky returns to domestic action at the weekend when the British Superbike championship makes its annual visit north of the border to Knockhill where Hicky will contest round eight of the Metzeler National Superstock championship.

OULTON PARK (18/19/20 July)

Louth rider Peter Hickman secured two strong finishes in fifth and eighth place in rounds six and seven of the Metzeler National Superstock championship at Oulton Park at the weekend.

In a rain disrupted qualifying period Hicky posted a fast time in the first session to seal a ninth place start from a third row grid position for the start of both races. The final session was run in wet conditions and with nothing to be gained from venturing out in the tricky conditions Hicky sensibly decided to stick with his time posted in the earlier session.

As race one got underway on Saturday the 21-year-old county ace gradually moved through the field until he reached sixth place.

But he encountered a problem in the closing laps when he realised he was short on fuel and had to try and conserve what little fuel he had left in order to reach the finish line.

As they rounded the final corner two of the leaders went down gifting him fourth place. But on the drag to the flag the engine cut out and although he was able to coast over the finish line he was pipped at the post by Adrian Coates who overtook him as they crossed the finish line.

After ensuring there was sufficient fuel onboard for race two Hicky set off to settle into ninth position which he maintained until the very last lap when he reeled in Victor Cox at Turn One to claim eighth place and a further eight championship points for Ultimate Racing.

“Saturday’s result should have been better but I ran out of fuel. For the last two laps it had been stuttering and when I came out of the last turn I got it all the way to Deer Leap and it stopped so Coates just pipped me to the line,” said Hicky.

“On Sunday I made a much better start but just got kind of got stuck in a rut at 1m 40.8s, which was just about the same as everyone else.

But its not quite fast enough to pass anyone so I had to be content with eighth place.

We are now going to Brands Hatch in two weeks time as I have a wild card ride in the European Superstock championship race that runs alongside the World Superbike series. I am really looking forward to the experience and seeing how I go against the top guys in Europe.”

Peter is now placed in seventh place in the overall championship standings with the next round set for Knockhill in Scotland on August 10.

PETER HICKMAN - SNETTERTON

Louth Superstock rider Peter Hickman claimed a sixth place finish to his Metzeler National Superstock race at Snetterton on Sunday for Ultimate Racing but he was denied the chance to add to his points tally when the second race was postponed because of the adverse weather
conditions.

Qualifying had gone well for Hicky who earned himself a front row start in fourth place but he failed to capitalise on his grid position when he made a bad start to the race and dropped back to seventh place on the first lap.

He lost ground to eighth for a while before regaining his composure and making it back through to seventh and then sixth where he stayed until the chequered flag.

But his sixth place does not reflect the progress the young rider has made as he was up with the leaders challenging in a group of four riders for fourth place throughout the 15 laps and things could have been different if he had got away to a clean start as his lap times were on a par with the race winner.

“I fluffed the start,” said Hicky. “That allowed the leading riders to get away. But my lap times prove that if I had got away with the top three I could have run with them today.”

Hicky was hoping to rectify the situation with a good start to the second race but a heavy rain storm delayed the action in the Superbike class and his race was regrettably postponed and will be run at a later date.

The Superstock class are not on the race programme for Mallory Park so Hicky will not see race action for five weeks when they rejoin the action at Oulton Park on July 20.

PETER HICKMAN – DONINGTON PARK

Louth rider Peter Hickman rode to a sturdy points finish in the fourth round of the Metzeler National Superstock championship at Donington Park on Monday to claim eighth place and a further eight championship points in the title chase.

Riding the Ultimate Racing R1 Yamaha, Hicky had started the race from ninth place on the grid but soon encountered further problems with the brakes, which halted his progress through the field.

He made the best of things and rode a steady race moving past Howie Mainwaring mid-race to take up eighth position. But as he began to make inroads to Ben Wilson who was not far ahead, the race was red flagged as spots of rain began to fall.

A result was declared at 10 laps distance leaving Hicky to claim eighth position. 

“I am not overly happy with that,” said Hicky. “Although I did finish and got some more points. I had the same problem as at Brands and had no brakes, so was not particularly happy. But I knew I was fast enough to run at the front, I was fifth into turn one from ninth on the grid so made a really good start. But I was bashed by someone down Craner Curves and he took my handlebars away from me, which wasn’t very nice and went from fifth to 10th. But although I knew I had the speed to run further up the field I just daren’t do it because of the brake problem and in the end went for a safe finish.”

After four rounds Hicky is place at joint sixth in the rider standings on 28 points but a good result from the next round at Snetterton on June 15 could see him move further towards the top of the table.

Peter Hickman powered his Ultimate Racing Yamaha R1 to a strong seventh place finish in round two of the Metzeler National Superstock championship on Monday to secure his second top 10 result in as many races for the fledgling team.
 
His qualifying didn’t go quite as planned and consequently Hicky from Louth in Lincolnshire found himself down in 13th place to start his second race action from the head of row four.  But as the race got underway he was soon on the pace and moved through to take up 11th place on the opening lap. He kept his head down and chipped away at the deficit, making up places throughout the 15 laps to eventually cross the finish line for seventh position to pick up a further nine championship points.
 
“Considering this is only my second time out on the bike we are really only treating each race as a test. Its all gone really well although I did struggle a bit at the beginning of the weekend. I messed up my fast lap in qualifying, I should really have been on the second row but it was my mistake, my fault and I had to pay the price,” explained Hicky.
 
“The race went really well, I made a good start and just dug deep and kept out of trouble. I will be doing Brands Hatch this weekend but as we didn’t compete at the original meeting I havent got a qualifying time so will have to start from the back of the grid. It will make for an interesting race as there are 40 on the grid so will see how we go!”
 
After two rounds Hicky is placed at sixth in the championship standings on 20 points but a good result at Brands Hatch at the weekend could move him further up the table.

A last minute deal with Ultimate Racing saw the return of Louth rider Peter Hickman to the British racing scene where he rode to an amazing fifth position in the first round of the Metzeler National Superstock championship  at Thruxton on a bike that was only prepared and race ready by Friday.
 
Hickman was left stranded when his European Superstock ride fell through and thought his season was over before it began but he was thrown a lifeline by Ian Drake who runs a corporate hospitality business – http://www.ultimateracing.co.u from his base near Silverstone race circuit.
 
Commenting on how the deal came about Ian Drake said: “I have known Peter and his father Dave ever since he ran in the Superstock Cup and have followed his progress ever since. I haven’t done much with bikes lately, as I have been more involved with Touring Cars. But when Peter gave me a call out of the blue after all the problems over his European ride, we got together, had a chat and here we are at Thruxton. The bike has been put together over the past two weeks and Peter and Dave have done a tremendous job to get it race ready in such short a time. To get sixth on the grid and then a fifth place finish to our very first race is a credit to all the hard work put in by them both.”
 
Peter added: “We are just working out of a van and small pop up awning at the moment but although it’s a small outfit it is neat and tidy and we are very professional. We will build the team up this year and hope to move up to bigger things next season if all goes to plan.
 
“The first time the bike actually ran was Friday morning for practice and I was immediately on the pace and up to 12th in the first session. Then in qualifying I ended up in sixth place for a second row start and capitalised on that in the race.  “ I would like to thank Ian and Ultimate Racing for his support, Martin and Suzanne Sleaford and everyone at Louth Volksworld for their faith in me. Also a huge thank you to my dad who has worked really hard on the bike to get it ready in time for this weekend.”
 
Hicky will be back in action on May 6 for round two of the Metzeler National Superstock race at Oulton Park in Cheshire where he hopes he can produce another top five result.

Hello and welcome to the start of the new season!

As you may or may not know this year I am riding for Team Q Motosport in the FIM European Superstock 1000 Championship on board the teams brand new Yamaha R1’s. Our first test of the year was held at Almeria, the south of Spain, from the 14th to the 18th of January. It was fantastic to finally get back on a bike after a couple of months off. Having got the bikes quite late they were pretty much standard, we only just had time to take off the standard fairing and replace it with a race one, put the latest Bitubo shock in the back, replace the brake lines with HEL race lines, change the sprockets and chain with Renthal and Tsubaki and some rear sets from Dynamic Precision! Having said that my team mate Leon Hunt had a bike even more standard! With the brand new Yamaha R6 only just out this year, most parts were not available; the only things we could do to it were the brake lines, chain and sprockets!  Needless to say the bike, and its rider, performed very well all week and surprised us all!

After our 2½ hour flight, it’s hard to believe endless warm sunshine is only 2½ hours away, we headed for the circuit. We had hitched a lift from our new found friend Andy Weymouth who had friends living nearby and told us there’s a short cut. Oh dear, not one of those short cuts we all thought, but actually it wasn’t bad, except for the fact that we were about 2000 feet up in the mountains, on a road just wide enough for our car, in the middle of nowhere with a sheer drop and no barrier by our side!! And the road has to be the twistiest road ever built!
We got to the circuit about ½ an hour later. The layout of the track was absolutely awesome and none of us could wait to get out on track. An hour or so later the wrecking crew arrived, Paul Veazey and Gareth Hankinson! They had flown into Malaga which is about 2 hours from the track. Paul had borrowed his dads brand new CBR600RR which he got for Christmas and put a race fairing on it which was kindly lent from the Lowes family. So all the riders were there but where were the bikes?

Mark Quelch, the team owner, had picked all the bikes up on the Friday before and had set off on the Saturday, it was now Sunday night and there was still no sign of him! Apparently the roads across the Pyrenees were atrocious; with so much snow driving was very difficult he said. We all came to the conclusion that Mark just drives slow!!

The next morning came quickly and to our surprise………….RAIN!! None of us could believe it! However, we still didn’t have any bikes so it didn’t matter too much!  Mark finally arrived at 10:30am; he hadn’t stopped since he left on Saturday! After unpacking the van we all stood around hoping the rain would stop soon! It did in the afternoon and just left a damp track, so Paul and Leon decided to do a few laps of the circuit to get the majority of the running in process out of the way, I however didn’t go out as I knew we had another four days left so didn’t want to risk something silly happening and then not being able to do the rest of the week! Although I really did want to ride my new bike!

Apart from a very windy Wednesday the rest of the week was very nice and all three of us got a lot of laps in, the circuit is quite difficult to learn as there are a lot of blind corners but once you’ve got your head around it its really good. The bike felt surprisingly good considering it was nearly standard. We didn’t even change one click on the forks from when we got the bike and the Bitubo shock works so well too.

No lap times were taken as the test was more of a shakedown to get us riders back into the groove, we are now looking forward to our next test which will be sometime in the middle of February, keep checking my website to find out when we are going and for all the latest news on myself!!!

There may also be a video or two for you to watch from Almeria!!!!!!

Many thanks for all your continued support
Hicky #60

Despite weather conditions much more suited to Sykes Pumps throughout the weekend at Mallory Park the Hawk Colchester Kawasaki riders Scott Smart and Peter Hickman gained some solid results for the team. Scott gained two 10th places and Hicky a 14th and 16th in the two gruelling races at the small circuit. Only turning a wheel on the Kawasaki ZX10’s on Sunday morning, where they were allocated a half hour practice session, the first of the weekend the two riders quickly adjusted to the twisted track.

The Friday and Saturday sessions were cancelled due to very poor weather conditions and only a few of the teams ventured out on Saturday afternoon. The weather took a change for the better on Sunday morning and it was all systems go. The Hawk team got their first opportunity to test the bikes and find a good set up for the two 30-lap races that afternoon. They ended the session with Smart in 12th and Hicky in 21st, both riders were to take to the grid in their overall Championship positions. This saw Smart starting in 14th place and Hicky in 17th.

The pair gained good start in the race one and at the end of lap two Smart had moved through the pack and was sitting in 10th place and Hicky had been passed by Tristan Palmer and was pushed down to 18th. Whilst Smart was locked in a three way battle for ninth place with Cal Crutchlow and Leon Camier, Hicky was fighting to get in the points and was making progress through the field. Reigning British Superbike Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari crashed out at Edwina’s on lap 22, hoisting the riders another place. Smart gained 10th and Hicky a confidence boosting 14th.

Smart gained another good start in the second race and settled into 11th position after lap one, Hicky got blocked into the first chicane and ended up in 19th place after the opening lap. With the safety car being deployed on lap nine the riders were able to bunch up and prepare for the restart. Smart was locked in a tight battle with factory Honda’s Leon Camier for the duration of the 30-lap assault, with Smart eventually coming out victorious and securing a strong 10th place. Hicky battled his way through the field and just missed out on the points in 16th place when the race was red flagged when Honda rider Jonathan Rea crashed out at the Bus Stop Chicane.

Smart commented “It’s been a difficult weekend by all accounts. Losing my team-mate from last year, Ollie Bridewell, certainly put a downer on the whole occasion. Once again Stuart Higgs and his team did a fantastic job and made some difficult decisions this weekend. With only having half an hour on Sunday morning we were always going to be a little bit on the back burner as to what settings to use. Thankfully the races went without any major hick-ups and I gained a pair of tenth places, which I am pretty pleased about.”

Hicky said “I only heard my bike started up for the first time on Sunday and I knew with me starting from my championship position at Mallory that the race was always going to be difficult as it’s such a hard track to pass at. I got my head down and did the best I could, I’m pretty happy and stayed on which is always a bonus. I would like to pass on my thoughts and condolences to all the Bridewell family, he’ll be sadly missed around the paddock.”

All of the Hawk Colchester Kawasaki Team would like to send their thoughts and sincere condolences to the Bridewell family.

The next race is at Croft Circuit on the 10th – 12th August.

-END-

Carly Rathmell
Freelance Sports PR
www.carlyrathmell.com
carlyrathmell@yahoo.co.uk

Qualifying for the ninth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park in Leicestershire has been cancelled due to standing water at the side of the 1.41-mile circuit. Click here for info and revised timetable.