With two wins and a second in the last three years, Peter Hickman heads into this week’s Macau Grand Prix as the favourite for race honours but the Aspire-Ho by Bathams Racing rider isn’t taking anything for granted, with his focus once more on consistency as he looks to make it win number three.
The 31-year old ran a close second to Glenn Irwin last year and was looking to make his move in the second half of the race and complete his hat-trick but proceedings were cut short after the tragic crash which claimed the life of 2016 TT Privateer’s Champion Dan Hegarty.
While last year’s results paled into insignificance after the crash, Hickman believes his strategy of being consistent over 12 laps rather than being quick for just half will again be the key this time around.
“I felt comfortable sitting behind Glenn last year and I felt my strategy and approach to the race would come into its own in the second half of the race. We didn’t get that far though due to the unfortunate circumstances of Dan’s crash and the final results didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. It was a tragic end and everyone’s obviously hoping for a safe event this time around.”
“I’m looking forward to going back and I’m with the same team and same crew with a bike that’s more developed than it was twelve months ago so I think we’re in a good place. The combination of the BMW, the Dunlop tyres and myself is a good package and although I struggled a bit in 2016 through the twisty section, we improved that in 2017 and my aim will again to be fast over the 12 laps and not just one.”
“In both of the years I won, I wasn’t the fastest rider but I was the most consistent and that, for me, is the key. In 2016, I qualified back in seventh but I use the practice time to set the bike up for the full 12-lap race distance rather than putting in a quick lap to get on the front row. The race isn’t always about ultimate speed and people sometimes forget that.”
Whilst confident ahead of the race, Hickman isn’t complacent and is expecting another tough battle, pinpointing team-mate Michael Rutter and Martin Jessopp as the main threats despite the duo switching machines this year.
“Continuing with the same package should be an advantage for me but Michael and Martin will be fast whatever they ride and whilst you can never count anyone out, they’re the most likely threats.
“The RCV of Michael’s should be competitive as it’s a MotoGP-derived machine and I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes. His track record at Macau speaks for itself and he’s always fast so it will be interesting to see how it fares.
“Martin too is always fast at Macau and it’s clearly a circuit he enjoys. He’s been on the podium god knows how many times without actually winning one and he’ll obviously be eager to finally stand on the top step.
“He’s switched to the Ducati and although he may not have had much track time on the bike, he’s with a good team and knows where he’s going while he’s been on the podium before on a Ducati so I’m expecting him to the right up there once more.”
