Southern 100: Peter Hickman impresses on his debut with top-three results

The Isle of Man had rarely been seen like this. At the Tourist Trophy in early June, several practice sessions and races had to be cancelled due to rain, low clouds and poor visibility. At the Southern 100, however, the participants – including the world’s current top road racers – found perfect conditions on the small island between Ireland and Great Britain.

Although the practice sessions – consisting of short, twelve-minute sessions – were too brief for newcomers, Peter Hickman quickly got to grips with the demanding 6.84-kilometre Billown circuit during his eagerly awaited debut, securing good starting positions for the races thanks to strong performances.

On Wednesday evening, the first Superbike race took place over seven laps. Thanks to a good start, the 39-year-old BMW rider finished in an excellent third place. With an average lap speed of 185.071 km/h, he snatched the honour of being the fastest newcomer from none other than his currently injured 8TEN Racing team-mate, Davey Tood.

In the second Superbike race on Thursday morning, Hickman got off to a perfect start, which saw him take the lead. With Dean Harrison and Mike Browne in hot pursuit, it looked for a long time as though the tall Englishman was set for a maiden victory, but just before the end, Harrison managed to find a way past his compatriot.

Only Dean Harrison was faster

In the final “Southern 100 Solo Championship” race, too, the battle for victory was between Harrison and Hickman. The Honda rider had to pull out all the stops over the full nine-lap race – including breaking his own lap record several times – to once again edge past Hickman.

Alongside the Superbike races, Hickman contested three Supersport races, finishing sixth in each of the first two. The best was saved for last, as he engaged in an epic battle with Browne, Paul Jordan and Joe Yeardsley. At the finish line, less than a second separated the quartet, with Hickman finishing in fourth place.

“It was a brilliant week; I couldn’t have wished for or hoped for anything better! The bikes performed brilliantly, the team worked perfectly and the sun ensured good conditions all week, so there are plenty of reasons to be happy,” said the 14-time Tourist Trophy winner, summing up his Southern 100 debut.

“I didn’t have any expectations going into the event, but to have led the race on my debut, secured podium finishes, and become the third-fastest rider and the fastest rookie of all time is a pretty cool feeling. Dean was in absolutely top form; I’m more than happy with my results and am looking forward to 2027.”

Results, Southern 100, Superbike, Race 1: 1. Dean Harrison (GB), Honda, 7 laps in 15:35.805 mins. 2. Nathan Harrison (GBM), Honda, 10.273 sec behind. 3. Peter Hickman (GB), BMW, +11.351 sec. 4. Paul Jordan (GB), Honda. 5. Joe Yeardsley (GBM), Honda. 6. Dominic Herbertson (GB), BMW. Also: 12. Julian Trummer (A), BMW. Fastest lap: D. Harrison in 2:12.174 mins (lap record).

Results, Southern 100, Superbike 2: 1. D. Harrison, 7 laps in 15:33.637 mins. 2. Mike Browne (IRL), Honda, 8.171 sec behind. 3. N. Harrison, +11.659 sec. 4. Jordan. 5. Yeardsley. 6. Hickman. Also: 19. Trummer. Fastest lap: D. Harrison in 2:10.994 min. (lap record).

Results, Southern 100, Superbike 3: 1. D. Harrison, 7 laps in 15:32.277 mins. 2. Hickman, 0.942 sec behind. 3. Browne, +2.428 sec. 4. N. Harrison. 5. Michael Dunlop (GB), Honda. 6. Yeardsley. Also: 12. Trummer. Fastest lap: D. Harrison in 2:10.885 mins (lap record).

Results, Southern 100, Solo Championship: 1. D. Harrison, 9 laps in 19:42.132 mins. 2. Hickman, 6.910 sec behind. 3. Browne, 18.559 sec behind. 4. N. Harrison. 5. Dunlop. 6. Jordan. Also: 12. Trummer. Fastest lap: D. Harrison in 2:10.032 mins (lap record).

Results, Southern 100, Supersport 1: 1. Browne, Yamaha, 7 laps in 16:22.308 mins. 2. Jordan, Ducati, 5.444 sec behind. 3. Dominic Herbertson (GB), Triumph, +9.356 sec. 4. N. Harrison, Honda. 5. Yeardsley, Suzuki. 6. Hickman, Triumph. Also: 14. Trummer, Triumph. Fastest lap: Browne in 2:18.694 mins.

Results, Southern 100, Supersport 2: 1. Browne, 7 laps in 16:15.940 mins. 2. Jordan, 2.997 sec behind. 3. Herbertson, +6.566 sec. 4. N. Harrison. 5. Yeardsley. 6. Hickman. Also: 12. Trummer. Fastest lap: Browne in 2:17.472 mins.

Results, Southern 100, Supersport 3: 1. Yeardsley, 7 laps in 16:18.299 mins. 2. Jordan, 0.049 sec behind. 3. Browne, +0.169 sec. 4. Hickman. 5. Herbertson. 6. Michael Sweeney (IRL), Yamaha. Also: 11. Trummer. Fastest lap: Jordan in 2:17.754 mins.