Peter Hickman and the Gas Monkey Garage by FHO Racing team claimed their second win of the 2022 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy on Monday evening with another start to finish victory, this time in the RL360 Superstock race.
Riding the BMW M1000RR, Hickman put in another imperious performance around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course to take his seventh TT victory, coming home 12.7s clear of local rider Conor Cummins.
Pushed back to a 6.35pm start and cut from four laps to three, with a mandatory pit stop to be taken after the first lap, the 35-year old grabbed the lead from the outset with an opening lap of 132.217mph giving him a more than healthy 12.7s lead over Cummins’ team-mate Davey Todd.
An excellent pit stop by the team, where just fuel was taken, enabled Peter to extend his lead to 15.9s at the end of the second lap and although a 133mph+ lap from Cummins reduced the gap slightly on the third and final lap, Hicky had it all under control and with his quickest lap of the race, 132.274mph, took the chequered flag to make it win number two for the week.
There was also better fortune this time around for team-mate Brian McCormack who took a solid 14th place on the FHO Racing/Roadhouse Macau BMW. After an opening lap of 125.276mph, the Waterford rider steadily moved forward during the three laps and with a quicker lap third time around of 126.321mph, he was able to claim a hard-earned 14th place and another silver replica at the conclusion of the race.
Peter Hickman:
“The bike worked faultlessly from the start again and I felt really comfortable so a big thanks to the team who were brilliant. The bike’s working so well and it’s making my life so much easier – not that it’s easy I can assure you! All the boys are fast and they’re all keeping me honest and I’m working my heart out to get the bike round as fast as possible.
“I caught Davey, John and Hutchy and knew that I had some time in hand so I followed them for a few miles which I don’t normally like to do but eventually got by them all and got my head down. The conditions were bang on apart from the flies – there were loads of them – and it’s great to get another win so I’m happy as.”
Brian McCormack:
“The chance of a top ten finish disappeared for me on the first lap as I was half asleep and my head wasn’t really in it to be honest. As the race wore on though, I settled in and got stronger and stronger and it’s a shame the race wasn’t the full four laps as that would have suited me better.
“I knew Michael Rutter was ahead of me and I was trying to chase him down but it wasn’t to be and 14th was the end result. The bike was absolutely mint so a big thanks to the team again and there’s always Friday so we’ll be looking to get a good result in the Senior then.”
Faye Ho, Team Principal:
“Well, what can I say? Two wins from our first two TT starts is simply brilliant and we’re all over the moon with how the second day of racing has gone. Peter put in another faultless performance and once he’d built up a nice advantage on the opening lap, he was able to control the race and give the team our second win.
“The pit stop was superb so congratulations to both his side of the garage and Brian’s. After the disappointment of Saturday,it was really nice to see Brian get a strong result and it will do his confidence the world of good. I’m really pleased for him. We have one race left to go now and both riders will be looking to end this year’s TT in the best way possible.”
The team’s final race comes in Friday’s 6-lap Blue Riband Senior TT race.
RL360 Superstock race (3 laps)
1 Peter Hickman (Gas Monkey Garage by FHO Racing BMW)
2 Conor Cummins (Honda)
3 Davey Todd (Honda)
4 Dean Harrison (Kawasaki)
5 Michael Dunlop (Honda)
6 Jamie Coward (Yamaha)
14 Brian McCormack (FHO Racing BMW/The Roadhouse Macau)
