Posted by I met Peter Hickman at this year’s Bike Show @ the Excel and he very kindly answered some questions for me.
Peter is a 2019 Superbike, Superstock and Supersport TT 2 race winner; 2nd in the Senior and Supersport 1 and the Joey Dunlop TT Championship winner. In 2018 he won the Isle of Man Senior TT race with a new outright lap record of 135.452mph; the Isle of Man Superstock TT race winner with a new lap record of 134.403mph and came 2nd and 3rd in the Supersport Isle of Man TT races.
Peter had five podiums from five races at the 2017 Isle of Man TT races – second (Superbike and Senior) and third (Supersport 1 & 2, Lightweight); was winner of the 2014 Newcomers Trophy and has now finished 25 races at the TT, standing on the podium on 14 occasions and winning 24 silver and 1 bronze replica.
In 2014 Peter was the fastest newcomer in TT history with a 129mph+ lap and he also achieved this feat at the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix in the same year; was a triple Macau Grand Prix winner, with victory in 2015, 2016 and 2018 and finished second in 2017. Peter is also a 13-time winner of the Ulster Grand Prix winner including seven wins from seven starts in 2019 and a hat-trick in 2017; the North West 200 race winner in 2018 and 2019 and the British Superbike Championship race winner and won the 2016 BSB Rider’s Cup. In 2017 he was fourth overall in the British Superbike Championship in 2017 and in 2018 was fifth overall.
What is the best feeling about being on a motorbike?
There is no other feeling like it.
What is the one thing people would never know about you just by looking at you?
There are too many to list!
What was your most embarrassing moment on a motorbike?
When I went out of the pits at Cadwell Park going down to the race start and I crashed it!!!
What is the worst thing your mum caught you doing as a kid?
Oh blimey… um ….. [Apparently he couldn’t think of anything!!!!]
Do you have a lucky thing/ritual before the start of a race?
No.
What was the first motorbike you owned?
A Kawasaki AR50 when I was 12 years old which I bought myself.
What is your favourite stretch of road to ride on (not including a race track)?
I don’t ride on the road. [!!!]
If you hadn’t been a racer, what would you have been?
A fighter pilot.
Would you ride pillion? If so, who with?
Yes, but only with Valentino Rossi.
If you got arrested, what would your friends and family assume you had done?
Oh there’s too many to list……!!!!!
BK