Peter Hickman quits BSB for good: "I don't miss the politics"

Peter Hickman says he and his 8Ten Racing team will not be returning to BSB in the future.

The 8Ten team was formed by Hickman and Davey Todd in early 2025 after the FHO Racing team they were both due to ride for withdrew from BSB and road racing for that year.

The team got financial backing from personal sponsors of Hickman, as well as Monster Energy, and support from BMW, for which Hickman has ridden since he began racing at the Isle of Man TT road races in 2014.

Both the 2025 and 2026 seasons have been marred by injury for 8Ten, with Hickman suffering several major injuries during practice at the 2025 TT, while Davey Todd’s Daytona 200 crash this year ultimately ruled him out of both the North West 200 and the TT.

Hickman was the team’s sole rider at the start of this year, but things were tough in BSB from preseason testing and through the first couple of rounds. After the TT, 8Ten pulled out of BSB indefinitely, but Hickman now says the team will not be going back to British championship competition.

“I think, to be honest, the BSB ship has sailed for us,” Hickman said, speaking on the Outside Line podcast hosted by James Whitham and Jack Burnicle.

“Even for 8Ten as a whole. It just doesn’t work in the way it’s meant to work. It’s not helping us in the way that it should’ve helped and we felt like we weren’t getting the help we needed.

“We’re not just talking about financial support because that bit was– with what we get from BMW and Monster, and all our sponsors, LEW that’s been fantastic. 

“[We’re talking about] regulation help. It was interesting, and I’m not going to go into all of it, how some manufacturers get some manufacturers get certain help. 

“BMW has never won a BSB championship, has never won consistently, and doesn’t get anything, doesn’t get any help at all. 

“Yet there’s other manufacturers that have got concessions and help and they’re winning races a lot. 

“You just kind of think ‘It doesn’t quite correlate to what’s going on’.”

Hickman was asked to confirm that the 8Ten Racing team is finished with BSB.

“Yes,” he responded. “100 per cent. Unfortunately, which is a shame – 23 years I’ve been in the BSB paddock. 

“I love all of it, I still miss it now. I miss the racing, I don’t miss the politics, [but] I miss the racing, and racing with my mates, racing on all these great circuits like Oulton Park, Cadwell.”