British Superbikes: Louth ace Hickman happy with testing despite the rain in Spain

Louth racer Peter Hickman has been busy fine-tuning his preparations ahead of his latest assault on the British Superbike Championship which is just 10 days away.
Hickman is hoping to improve on last seasons excellent championship finish of fourthHickman is hoping to improve on last seasons excellent championship finish of fourth
Hickman is hoping to improve on last seasons excellent championship finish of fourth

Hickman has spent the last few weeks in Spain testing his Smiths Racing Motorrad BMW ahead of the first round at Donington Park over the Easter weekend.

And he is happy with the way the bike has performed.

He spent three days at Cartagena for a shakedown test and, although the weather was not at its best, Hickman had plenty of positives to take from the experience.

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“We have tested lots of new parts and set-ups, the rider is happy and the team is working superbly,” he said.

“We have plenty more to do at Jerez and Guadix, and the team morale is high.

“We had a really good test, tried a few different things with the suspension and it worked really well. We came away with a personal best time and a good base setting.

“It’s been really nice to ride a bike that I already know, as I rode it all last year, and the crew is the same as well.”

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The weather at Jerez was just as bad, but the good grip on the track allowed Hicky to enjoy some riding in the rain on the first day.

But as the weather failed to improve the team decided to cut their losses and head to Guadix a day early.

The first two days went well, with both team and bike working well, but when the weather deteriorated once again, much of the final day was spent building the TT bike in readiness for the launch day.

Hicky was back in action on home Tarmac yesterday (Tuesday) when he took the Smiths Racing BMW to the official British Superbike test at Donington Park.

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There he and the team will make their final preparations for the opening round of the championship at the Leicestershire circuit which takes place from Saturday, March 31 to Monday, April 2.

Today he heads to the Isle of Man for the launch of the 2018 TT races, where last year he completed all five of his races in a podium position.