Peter Hickman to make IOMTT debut

FORMER British Superbike rider Peter Hickman has confirmed he will be making his Isle of Man TT debut this year. 

Hickman will be riding for the Ice Valley by Motorsave team where he will be competing in the Superbike, Superstock and Senior TT races onboard a BMW S1000RR.

The 26-year-old has visited the Isle of Man TT in previous years where he had reportedly already started to study the course in preparation for his debut which has become more intensive during recent weeks.

Road racing isn't new within the Hickman family as Peter's father, Dave, won the 1977 Lightweight Manx Grand Prix and had also been a regular in the British Championship during the late 1970's. 

Explaining his decision to race at the Isle of Man TT, Hickman said: "The TT has been on my radar for a while now when the opportunity came up with Paul Shoesmith I jumped at it.

"I've already met up with the rider liaison officers Milky Quayle and Johnny Barton on the Isle of Man and their advice has been invaluable and I'll be using the next few months to make sure that I get as much preparation in as possible before I make my debut."

Hickman started racing in 2000 and has been involved in the British Superbike Championship in 2006-2007 with Stuart Hicken's Hawk Racing team before switching to Superstock in 2008.

Hickman rejoined the Superbike Championship in 2009 up until the end of the 2013 season with different teams. 2011 was Hickman's best year after securing ninth overall in the Championship with Quay Garage/Tyco Honda. 

The Louth-based rider finished eleventh overall in the British Superbike Championship last year with Lloyd's British GBMoto Honda which included several top ten finishes.