Peter Hickman will return to the Bennetts British Superbike Championship in 2021 in a brand new team set up by enthusiast Faye Ho.

Hickman, who will also compete in major international road races, switches from his now-defunct Smiths squad to the new FHO team and continues with BMW.

“This is an exciting time for me, the team and I think racing in general as we gain a passionate new team owner in Faye,” said Hickman.

“I’ve known Faye for a few years as a generous supporter of racing in Macau and most importantly she wants to win.

“I’ve had an awesome four years with the Smiths Racing team, we’ve grown together as a group, been successful in BSB and on the Roads, so now I think we can build on that and take it to a new level.

“After such a bad year globally, it’s so positive to have a new team and sponsor enter the arena.”

Alex Olsen will also join the squad after a tough 2020 saw him out of action with injury early on. The youngster now has a long period of preparation to get back to race fitness for a full Superstock 1000 campaign to add to his two wins in this competitive class.

He said: “I feel I haven’t a chance to show my full potential but now I’ve been given another chance. I’m healing up well and we’ve got a long winter, probably the longest ever, so it gives me plenty of time to prepare.

“The Superstock series is a perfect transition for me to challenge for wins next season and hopefully fight for the title. I’m excited about Faye taking over the team and the spec of the new M 1000 RR is looking amazing for the class.”

The team, which will be managed by Darren Jones, comes equipped with the highly-anticipated 2021 M1000RR Superbike, the first M model from BMW Motorrad that was announced just last month.