It’s fair to say that 2025 has so far been a baptism of fire for the newly formed 8Ten Racing BMW squad.
Isle of Man TT rivals Peter Hickman and Davey Todd teamed up to form their brand new squad out of the ashes of FHO Racing - only to see 14-time TT winner Hickman ruled out of this year’s event after a crash during Friday night’s practice session.
But, while he suffered chest, back, shoulder and facial injuries injuries in his high speed accident that will keep him out of action when the weather-delayed racing finally gets underway, his team co-owner Todd told The Race that all involved are well aware how lucky they know Hickman was to get away with the crash.
The 8Ten Racing rider crashed at Kerrowmoar, a bumpy third-gear left hand corner taken by riders at over 100mph on a 1000cc machine.
“It’s been a tough 24 hours,” last year’s Senior TT winner Todd admitted on Saturday evening. “Yesterday was a day that definitely sucked, that’s for sure.
“Gutted for my mate, my team-mate, my team co-owner - call him whatever you want, but he’s a mate first of all, and I’m just gutted for him.
“But in the same breath, we’ve spoken a lot about it and said that it’s actually not all bad. It could be so much worse, and we’ve got to look positively on it.
“He was lucky, it could have been worse, he’s alright, and he’ll be back.
“Just gutted for him, he’s gutted he’s missing out on the TT as we all would be, and it’s never nice to see so I just hope he’s healed up and recovered soon.”
The crash for Hickman came at the culmination of a week that had, up until that point, been nothing but disappointment for both he and Todd as they struggled to dial in their 2025 factory-spec BMW M1000RR machines in both the superbike and superstock class.
But there was at least some relief for Todd when Saturday’s delayed (and ultimately cut short) qualifying session finally did get underway, with radical changes to the bike helping him find some of the feeling that had up until that point been missing.
“I’m feeling good now,” he declared. “I finally got into a good place, because I was really struggling at the beginning of the week and really struggling with the bike, fighting with it.
“We’ve made a lot of changes, and the 8Ten BMW guys have done a fantastic job with both bikes to get them into a position where we’re super happy.
“We’ve not even shown yet what we’re capable of. If anyone goes back and looks at some sectors, then they might find out a little bit more - but we’ve not completed a full lap at the pace we’re capable of.
“We’ve got a really good feeling now, and now I’m really stoked to get into the races and get going.”
It would be easy to think that a large part of that frustration had come thanks to the weather, with Todd among the riders desperate for dry track time but unable to find it as rain and low cloud cover has caused the TT’s practice schedule to be shifted and cut short repeatedly over the course of the week.
But rather than allow circumstance to make things even worse for him, Todd says instead that it’s been important this week to focus on the things under his control and let the things that he can’t go.
“You can’t let yourself get too frustrated about the weather because we’re not in control of it,” he explained.
“It’ll be what it is, and if it’s cancelled then it’s cancelled. Do you want to go out there and ride on slicks when it’s wet? No!
“It is what it is, and for sure it would be lovely to have a lovely warm two weeks, but we’re on the Isle of Man and I don’t think that ever happens too often. It’ll be what it’ll be and we’ll go when we’re told to go.
“I’m just happy that the boys have got the bikes in a position where we’re happy. I was a bit concerned earlier in the week, but now we’re in a good place and we’re ready for it.”
And while his focus right now might be on the superbike and superstock machine, the two classes that he took his first victories in 12 months ago, he’s perhaps looking more relaxed so far in the supersport and supertwin class where he’s reunited with former team Padgett’s.
“The little bikes are working,” he told The Race. “We’re still chipping away, and we’ve not fully shown what we’re capable of there, but we had the fastest standing start lap on the supersport yesterday then only ended up down the order when everyone else got a flyer and I didn’t go one.
“And we’ve got more to come there. The trusty little CBR600 is always good, we’ve made some mods and steps with it, and we’re just trying to get everything we can out of it to compete with the new gen bikes.
“And with the twin, we’re just learning as we go. Me, Clive [Padgett], and the Padgett’s team are learning every step of the way because it’s completely new to us all, but we’re making steps on the way and I’m sure by the race that we’ll be in the ballpark.”
