Further bad luck struck the GBmoto/JG Speedfit Kawasaki team in this afternoon’s Senior TT race, with Peter Hickman forced to retire from a podium position towards the end of the second lap.

Despite fog delaying the day’s action, confidence was high for both Peter Hickman and the GBmoto/JG Speedfit Kawasaki entering the blue-riband Senior TT after Hicky set the third fastest time during qualifying. Starting fifth down the Glencrutchery Road, Hickman took a strong start to be running sixth at the opening checkpoint at Glen Helen. Moving up a position with every checkpoint, the star rider was sitting in third by the time they reached the Bungalow for the first time.

Maintaining third position into the second lap, he was able to pull away from fourth placed Anstey over the start of the lap before bad luck struck the start rider once again midway round the lap and he was forced to retire at Brandywell.

A disappointed Peter Hickman said, 

“It’s been a bit of a war of attrition this week across every class! It’s not been a bad TT, but it was certainly a very tough one. It’s my third year here and I was probably due a bit of a tough week as the first two years went with no problems. I’m disappointed but it’s just the way these things go – the team are still newcomers to the TT, but collectively we’ve all learnt a lot and have a really good setting with the bike as shown in that Senior race. My first lap was 131mph from a standing start, whilst in the Saturday Superbike race my flying lap saw us join the 132mph club so I can’t not be happy with that.

I want to say a big thanks to the whole team, as the work they’ve put in this week has been phenomenal and it’s no reflection on them that bad luck has stopped us from achieving what we were capable of. We move on and look towards heading back to the BSB scene before the Ulster in August.”  

GBmoto Racing Team Principal Mark Smith-Halvorsen concluded, 

“After the effort the team has put in this week, to finish this way is gutting. The whole team has worked non-stop and unfortunately we weren’t able to achieve what we know we’re capable of. We can still take positives from this week, particularly with Peter’s performance in the Superbike race which saw him become the fourth ever fastest rider around the TT, whilst even in that Senior he was comfortably running in a podium position.”