PETER HICKMAN STILL SEEKING HIS MAIDEN SUPERBIKE WIN AT 2025 BRIGGS EQUIPMENT NORTH WEST 200 ON MAY 5-10

When the action gets underway at the 2025 Briggs Equipment North West 200 race week on May 5-10 the principal focus will be on the Superbike races and who will replace eleven times winner, Glenn Irwin, on the top step of the podium. Having announced his retirement from road racing ahead of the new season, Irwin’s domination of Superbike racing at the North West was so emphatic that eight years have elapsed since any other rider has occupied that coveted top step.

Amongst the contenders for the accolade in 2025 will be Peter Hickman who visited the north coast last week. The 38 year old scored a Supertwin double at last year’s event and admits a NW200 Superbike race win remains a glaring omission on his road racing CV that already features four North West wins plus 14 Isle of Man TT victories and 13 Ulster Grand Prix wins.

‘It is something that I have to tick off the list.’ the Burton on Trent man said during a visit to Portrush last week.

‘I haven’t done it so far but most of the time it has been because of stuff outside of my control. There were tyre issues in 2022 when I had already broken the lap record and in ’23 I was on a Stocker after FHO Racing withdrew because of the wheel issue. In 2024 I had to ride the stocker again after I got a hole in the radiator of the Superbike. Something has always gone against me.’

The 2025 North West may also bring its own challenges as Hickman debuts the new 8TEN Racing BMW squad he has set up with friend and rival, Davey Todd, on the roads. Formed after their split from FHO Racing, both riders have still to ride their 2025 spec M1000RR superbikes as their build remains a work in progress.

Davey Todd’s success at last year’s North West 200 and Isle of Man TT elevated the Saltburn by the Sea rider to road racing’s highest echelon. That has led to some racing insiders questioning the wisdom of a team being run by two of the sport’s fiercest rivals.

‘I think that is the old-fashioned thinking of a closed mind.’ Hickman retorts.

‘It is an old fashioned thought process that a team has to be structured around an owner, a manager and riders. In that scenario the riders have no control over their own destiny, no job security. This is a more modern way and it happens a lot in sports like Supercross where the teams are owned by the riders.’

Hickman also denies there will be any pecking order within the 8TEN squad.

‘Davey and I want to beat each other but we can also help each other.’ he explained.

‘At the recent test in Navarra we rode our stockers and there were areas where each of us was faster. We compared notes and in the end we both ended up with the same time.

For us, the best case scenario in any race, will be that we run at the front together and then battle it out for the win on the last lap.’

Although the new team may be running behind time in its bike preparation, Hickman says he hasn’t lost out on track time ahead of the new season.

‘I was at Daytona where we finished fourth on the PHR Performance Triumph and I’ve done the Dunlop tyre tests at Valencia and Le Mans. I was at the BSB test in Spain and will be at the Oulton BSB round before coming to the North West.’

Hickman will have his hands full looking after both the new squad and his PHR Performance team. PHR runs his Supersport-spec 765 Triumph and the Swan R7 Yamaha he will race in the Supertwin class. French rider Pierre Yves Bian will also race a PHR Performance prepared Aprilia in the Twins class at Portrush alongside another 765 Triumph in Supersport with Barry Burrell completing the squad’s line-up on a Halliwell Jones supported BMW in the Superstock and Superbike races at Portrush.

Positive on track upgrades

Peter Hickman gave the thumbs up to the recent upgrades to the North West 200 course that include the resurfacing of the Juniper hill chicane, the Ballysally roundabout and the work carried out on the stretch of course between University corner and the roundabout necessitated by the insertion of a cycle lane this past winter.

‘I was part of the group of riders who gave some input to the plans and our suggestions have been taken onboard.’ Hickman said.

‘As riders what we want is to improve the course, making things better and safer.’