Hickman joins FIXI Crescent Suzuki at Donington
FIXI Crescent Suzuki will replace the injured John Hopkins at this weekend's World Superbike race at Donington in England with young British hopeful Peter Hickman.
Hickman has good knowledge of the Donington circuit, having raced there many times before in the British Superbike Championship. The 25-year-old from Louth in Lincolnshire will join the team this evening to get acquainted with his new crew and the Yoshimura powered Suzuki GSX-R. He will be replacing Hopkins for this weekend after the Anglo-American broke a bone in his right foot and injured his left hip at Monza last weekend. Hopkins hoped to be fit to ride at Donington, but a specialist examination earlier this week revealed more damage than originally thought. He will have a further scan tomorrow to find out the full extent of his injury.
Peter Hickman: "I'm so happy that I've got a chance to ride with the FIXI Crescent Suzuki team this weekend. 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 round 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."
Jack Valentine - Team Manager: "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. 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."
