SuperBike Magazine June 2020

44 TT WINNING BIKE
Hickman 2020; S 1000 RR
Superbike, Suter swingarm
Ohlins and
Brembo
Hickman 2020; S 1000 RR
TT superbike, Alpha link
BMW Kit ECU
Carbon frame protectors
“Since then we’ve worked out what
happened,” says Jones. “We were running
too much ignition advance, which
created so much combustion that it
raised the cylinder head, allowing water
in.”
At least Hickman managed to finish
that race second to Dean Harrison’s
Kawasaki ZX-10R.
“We learned loads last year, on top
of what we learned from the engine
problem in the Senior,” adds Hickman.
“The biggest difference with our 2020
bikes is that we are running BMW
race-kit electronics on the superbike,
which we didn’t before. We used to run
the kit electronics on the stocker, with
the traction control and everything
turned off, and on the superbike we
ran the Motec kit that everyone has to
use in BSB, which doesn’t have traction
control or anything. But even though
we used to run both bikes without
traction control or anti-wheelie they
felt different because they’re different
electronic systems. So this year the
idea was to make them both feel the
same and react the same, so both bikes
now run the kit ECU.”
Hickman is convinced he can go
faster when he next races on the Isle
of Man. He set the current outright lap
record of 135.452mph during the 2018
Senior TT and only failed to better that
in 2019 because much of TT fortnight
was washed out by bad weather, so he
had very little practice, on a bike he had
never ridden over the Mountain course.
“Last year I did a 134.2 from a
standing start on the superbike – a
brand-new bike and after only two laps
of practice. We didn’t do anything to the
bike, really, but we were still fast, so I’m
sure we can go quicker than the record,
with what we’ve learned.”
Hickman and Jones have no doubt
about one of the key secrets of their
success at the TT, which during the
last two years numbers five victories,
including one Senior, one Superbike,
one Supersport and two Superstock,
and four further podiums from 12 races.
It is the tricky art of attacking the most
stressful race of them all with a relaxed
attitude.
“We say it all the time: literally
we’re just a bunch of mates who go
racing and we do all right,” says Jones.
“That’s all it is really. I think that’s what
works, especially at the TT, because you
just relax. Peter goes there to win, but
if he doesn’t it’s no problem: we weren’t
good enough, so we’ll go again next
year. Whereas some people go there
and have got to win.”