Peter Hickman

At 300 km/h in the tunnel. Peter Hickman is kind of person who throws caution to the wind.

You have to be a bit crazy to go round winding road racing circuits at 300 km/h. Peter Hickman says you were either born with it or not. So it's not madness. Because that would be overthinking it. And thinking doesn't get you anywhere. Feeling is how you get somewhere. Find out what feeling resonates inside him when atop the HP4 RACE – in the following.

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Most people believe they buy a bike and then try and make it into a superbike, but they can’t really afford to do that. "

Peter Hickman

Could you describe the HP4 RACE in one sentence?

The HP4 RACE is a superbike for the general public.

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And why is it like that?

It’s something the general public has not been able to buy before. I’ve been trying to explain to people just how fast it is and what’s actually included in the package.

Most people believe they can just buy a bike and then turn it into a superbike, but they can’t really afford to do that.

And this bike comes with everything already on it: the swing arm and the lengths, a carbon frame, carbon wheels and proper Öhlins FGR forks.

So it’s got absolutely everything you could ever imagine on it, straight out of the box. It’s going to be a big shock to a lot of people when they actually ride it for the first time and realise just how much of a bike the HP4 RACE is, because it’s so special compared to what most people will have ever ridden before in their lives.

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What was your experience, when you first rode the HP4 RACE?

The whole experience of riding the bike was very special for me. It was something I’d never ridden before.

I’ve never ridden something that has quite so much carbon on it for a start. It was also absolutely brand new when I sat on it and everything needed bedding-in. So being able to ride the first one that came out of the production line was a very special experience. One I’m always going to remember. The bike is phenomenally fast as one would expect, since it’s got a superbike engine. Normally when you get asked to do a demo with a bike, it’s probably not quite as fast as what you’re used to. But when I got asked to do the HP4 RACE demo I got asked to ride something that’s at least as good as what I already race and maybe even a little bit better. So that made the whole experience a very special one.

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What kind of emotion does the HP4 RACE evoke in you?

Especially at the Isle of Man TT the emotion is just excitement. Right from starting it, sitting on it, riding off on it. The bike is an amazing thing to ride. It’s hard to put into words just how good the bike is or to describe what you’re going to feel when you finally get to throw your leg over one and actually ride it. It does absolutely everything you want it to and more. And it really does excite you right from the start.

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And high speed in general?

High speed thrill is something racers are always seeking. It's something I think is embedded from an early age, either you have that mindset or you don't. We’re always striving to go that bit faster and that bit more and I think the HP4 RACE really can deliver on that kind of thrill.

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When you think about the claim “chasing the impossible” – can you do that with the HP4 RACE?

I think we got more with the HP4 RACE. When I rode it, compared to what I normally ride, the change of direction at high speed was so much easier. So I was trying all week to get my S 1000 RR to do what I had managed to do on the HP4 RACE. Because I can definitely push the limits with that bike and it’s interesting to see how far the technology with carbon has come in the last 10 years or so and to see what BMW Motorrad has managed to do with it. It’s phenomenal.

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High speed thrill is something racers are always seeking. It's something I think is embedded from an early age, either you have that mindset or you don't. "

Peter Hickman

Is there a difference between the S 1000 RR and the HP4 RACE?

Yes, there’s obviously a big difference and the HP4 RACE is a lot more of a bike. There’s more to use, the brakes are better, the suspension is better, so the limit is a lot higher. And people are definitely going to strive to find that limit.

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How do you personally push the limits? How do you go one step further?

Good question. I don’t know. I’m always trying to go faster, probably. It’s all down to lap times at the end of the day. You’re always trying to speed up a bit more, brake out a bit later, accelerate a bit earlier and a bit harder.

Every metre you go you’re trying to push yourself a bit more and more. Each time you go, you learn something new and you’ll figure out something different. You never stop learning. And that’s where progress comes from: making mistakes and trying different things. Maybe they don’t always work, but when they do work, remembering them the next time will push you to go another bit further.

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And did you push your limit at the Isle of Man? It was your most successful race, wasn’t it?

Yes, my most successful by a long way. Five races, five podiums. There’s not many people who have done that at the TT. And I’ve done it in my fourth year, when I’ve not been going very long. It’s obviously a very big, demanding circuit and I was up against riders with a lot more experience than me, but I’m a quick learner, I do a lot of homework. So that’s really the reason my progression has been so fast. And to come away with five podiums this year was unbelievable.

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What was it about? Which emotions did get you that far?

I’m quite laid back and I think that kind of riding style helps, especially at the TT. You have to be aggressive in some instances, but then you also have to be very smooth and less aggressive. To find the balance is very difficult. A lot of riders can either do one or the other, not many can actually do both. And to be able to control yourself in certain areas to then go faster – you take a step back to go two steps forward – is difficult. But it’s something my dad has actually taught me right from the start, because of the mistakes that he made when he was racing, and so he was kind of making sure I didn’t make the same mistakes he did.

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Let’s say the Isle of Man is something for maniacs. Why is it the right place for the HP4 RACE?

People all call us maniacs and crazy people, but life is short. I want to live my life – not just exist. And the Isle of Man TT helps me live. That’s why I go, why I want to do it and why I want to be so successful at it. The HP4 RACE fits in perfectly with the whole TT concept and it’s absolutely the right place for it to push the limit. There is no other circuit in the world that demands more than the TT. So, if the ultimate test is the TT then it’s the perfect place for the HP4 RACE.

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Would you say it’s the hardest or the fastest place to ride in the world?

It’s definitely the hardest, for sure. There’s a couple of places that might be a little faster, but we are doing over 200 miles an hour in a few spots at the TT as well, so there aren’t many places where it’s going much faster than that – definitely not on a country road anyway.

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Maybe on a German Autobahn.

Yes, the Autobahn. Most time I get up to top speed there.

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What is your personal highlight of the HP4 RACE?

Being asked to ride it by BMW Motorrad and having them say “please come in, do this for us, do some demos for the crowd and let us know what you think of it”, that was brilliant.

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Is there something, a detail on it that you like best?

I like the shape of it actually! The shape of the tank and the way that it folds into the seat. The seat actually has kind of an element of the S 1000 RR, but it’s different and more refined. Actually, when I saw the bike for the first time today at the TT, the first thing I said is “I love the seat”. It’s very kind of Moto GPS, very prototypic. And I really like that about it.

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What about going through corners, you said that it’s quite easy to do?

The change of direction was real and much easier compared to my normal S 1000 RR. Because of the lesser weight – obviously the carbon wheels make it less – the whole bike turns a lot easier. It made my life for riding a lot easier.

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Where can the journey lead you with the HP4 RACE?

Who knows. The journey is long. No, I think it really can be a race win, for a definite. Fingers crossed that I get the chance to race it at some point.

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Peter Hickman / Isle of man TT

Ready, steady, race!

With the HP4 RACE on the Isle of Man.

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Peter Hickman

Peter Hickman / Isle of man TT

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