By Two of international road racing’s elite are fonaCAB/Nicholl Oils North West 200 bound, as 2015 & 2020 BSB Champion Josh Brookes, world’s fastest road racer Peter Hickman head FHO Racing’s Triangle course tilt.
Although twice a NW200 race winner (Superstock victories times two), Superbike success has to date eluded nine times TT winner Hickman. It’s a matter he aims to put right in May.
“Every time I am in a position to win it seems that something goes wrong. One year I even had a stone go through a hose which just doesn’t happen.
I want to win a Superbike race here. I’ve come here so long now and never done it. I’ve got to pull the finger out and do it.
We have the pace to win, we just need to get all the stars to align and then maybe I can beat the home hero, Glenn Irwin!”
Reflecting on last year’s North West, Hickman stated about becoming the first racer in modern times, to hold uniquely at the same time NW200, TT, Ulster GP lap records:
“It is nice to have the full set and it came during a meeting when things weren’t going to plan for me at all. Anything that could go wrong did go wrong last year!”
It’s competition next month in all NW200 classes for Hickman, who in addition to the FHO Racing M1000RR BMWs in Superbike, Superstock trim, also has at his disposal, TROOPER Beer supported 675 Triumph, his own teams R7 Yamaha Super Twin.
New team-mate, Australia’s fastest TT competitor, the aforementioned Josh Brookes returned to NW200 racing duties in 2022, after a gap of eight years.
In 2014, he ended just his second NW200 tenure in almost victorious fashion, before a late race error handed the feature race crown to Michael Dunlop.
Speaking about this, he stated:
“I was dicing with Michael Dunlop in the last superbike race when I ran on to the grass at Mather’s chicane.
I set the new lap record as I was chasing Michael back.”
Fast forward to 2022 and Brookes Triangle course return, would yield fourth, third place finishes in the Superbike races, after professional, ultra competent displays aboard the Paul Bird Motorsport Panigale Ducati.
For 2023, the ambition firmly is to join the NW200 winners’ circle.
“I’ve been riding and racing over the winter in Australia, so I’ve had some time to adapt to the BMW.
The bike has a new engine this year which has very different characteristics.
It isn’t a case of wait and see how it goes I know that I can race competitively alongside Peter (Hickman) at the North West.
The target has to be to win races. I was on the podium last year, Peter set a new outright lap record on the BMW and the bike is even better now so I don’t think that is unrealistic.”
Quotes courtesy of Stephen Davison
Photo courtesy of Stephen Davison
Words by Stevie Rial #dontletfearcontrolyou
