Peter Hickman was impressive throughout the weekend as BSB returned to Donington Park for the 10th round of the championship.He qualified the Quay Garage Honda fourth on the grid and was running with the leaders in fifth place in the early stages of the race but at mid-distance he started to drop back with a tyre problem.
Hickman said: “The tyre spun on the rim on the tenth lap. It wasn’t just a little bit out but a full 180 degrees so the tyre was suddenly completely out of balance. It made the bike vibrate badly and gave really terrible chatter so it was very difficult to get the bike stopped on the brakes and into corners.”
From trackside it was obvious Hickman had a problem as his lap times dropped from consistent mid 1:30s – the same pace at the leaders) to mid 1:31s and he had to be content with seventh place after he had been looking a potential podium finisher.
In race two, he was again among the front runners when the electronic throttle blipper system, which aids engine braking, malfunctioned and he was forced to withdraw from the race.
Hickman’s teammate Patric Muff had yet another track to learn but the Donington rookie finished fifth in the Evo class in both races and is still fourth overall in the Evo championship with two rounds and five races remaining.
Patric said: “Donington is a much more conventional race track than some of the BSB venues we’ve been to but it’s also one of the most difficult to learn because the section from Redgate to Coppice, it’s so fast and flowing and you have to get every single corner perfect because they all lead into one another.”
Team owner Ian Woollacott added: “Overall it’s been a good weekend for the team. Peter was on the pace from the very first practice session on Friday and qualified front row. It was just a shame the tyre spun on the rim in race one but he still got a great result and showed once again that he has developed into one of the regular front-runners in BSB.
“He was bang on the pace in race two until the drive by wire system malfunctioned but we’re looking forward now to Silverstone in two weeks time because it’s another track that will really suit him and our bike.
“For Patric is was another tough weekend of learning a new track but he made some good progress this weekend. He has an unusual riding style, using a lot of back brake, so we’ve been changing the bike to suit him but he’s also been changing his style too. We’re meeting half way and can see the improvements coming and we think he’ll go really well at Silverstone.”
