Hickman To Replace Hopper For Donington
Cycle News Staff | May 10, 2012
Young British Superbike racer Peter Hickman will replace the injured John Hopkins on the Fixi Crescent Suzuki for this weekend’s World Superbike round at Donington Park in England.
Hopkins is slated to have further tests tomorrow to find out the full extent of the hip injury he suffered in this first-race crash at Monza last weekend.
The 24-year-old Hickman has local knowledge of the Donington circuit, having raced there several times in the British Superbike Championship.
“I’m so happy that I’ve got a chance to ride with the FIXI Crescent Suzuki team this weekend,” Hickman said. “It’s going to be a steep learning curve, but I’ve got nothing to lose, so I’m really looking forward to it. I know the track, but I don’t know the bike, so I’ll be spending the first practice getting used to the GSX-R and how it behaves around Donington. I’d like to thank everybody in the team for giving me this chance and I really hope that I will not disappoint them.”
Team manager Jack Valentine is happy to give the young Brit the chance.
“It’s disappointing not to have John on the bike this weekend, but he’s suffering a lot of discomfort from his left hip and he’ll have a scan tomorrow [Friday] to determine the full extent of the damage,” Valentine said. “We’re pleased to be able to give an opportunity to a young British rider – Peter Hickman. I was impressed by Peter in BSB last year when he was running at the sharp end for most of the season. It’s a great opportunity for him and I would like to thank the MSS BSB team for allowing him to ride this weekend.”
