Peter Hickman closing in on Showdown spot after 'strange' weekend of Superbike action at Snetterton

Lincolnshire rider targets success at Silverstone...
Peter Hickman.Peter Hickman.
Peter Hickman.

Peter Hickman edged closed to securing the FHO Racing BMW team a position in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship Showdown at Snetterton, moving to within a single point of having his Title Fighter position confirmed ahead of this weekend’s decider at Silverstone.

Peter set the pace during the opening free practice sessions on Friday, leading the field for FHO Racing BMW as he carried his momentum from a winning weekend last time out at Cadwell Park.

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However, his fastest lap in Superpicks Qualifying was hampered by a slower rider on line, and that meant he would start on the second row in fifth position.

In an incredibly close opening race, Hickman was able to score valuable points for his Showdown bid in seventh, following up with another top 10 finish in race two as he gained ground for his bid to secure a place as one of the eight Title Fighters for the final three round championship battle.

However, a problem on the grid in race three meant he started from the back of the grid and after moving up the order the race was red flagged for a crash, meaning it would then be a five-lap dash to the chequered flag.

A hard-fought seventh place was an impressive performance following the earlier problem and now he heads into this weekend’s action at Silverstone determined to add to his podium tally.

“It was a strange weekend for us really," Hicky said.

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"On Friday, it was mega and we had great pace and again on Saturday, but it all went wrong from there for some reason.

"It seemed like something had changed, and I developed a lot of chatter.

“On Sunday we made some changes to try and fix it and it was slightly better, but we made more changes for the last race and then there was something out of place and the team put that right for the final race.

“The bike felt mint again, but for some reason it kind of stalled on the grid and I then had to start from the back of the grid.

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"After that I had a good start and it felt like it did on Friday again - I felt strong. I was 11th in a few laps so was coming through the pack before the red flag.

"We could run with the front boys, we were there in the mix and the podium was right in front of us.

“We know why the weekend went the way it did, we have learnt from it and can move on to Silverstone now, where I will be ready to secure the place in the Showdown.”

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