LEW 8TEN Racing has no intention of returning to the British Superbikes Championship, according to Peter Hickman. The team withdrew earlier this season, and the 39-year-old rider says its BSB chapter has effectively ended because BMW is not receiving the regulatory support he believes it needs to compete on equal terms.

The decision comes after an injury-hit 2025 campaign. Hickman and Davey Todd, the 8TEN Racing co-owner and Hickman’s road-racing team-mate, have made recovering their health a priority. Hickman suffered a violent crash at the Daytona 200 in March, before adding another podium to his Isle of Man TT record. He did not win any of the five TT races that went ahead, with Dean Harrison taking two victories and Michael Dunlop claiming the other three.

A dispute over regulations, not funding

Hickman is careful to separate the team’s financial backing from the regulatory issue. He describes the support from BMW Motorrad, Monster Energy and LEW as “fantastic”. His complaint is that the BSB rules have not provided BMW with the assistance he considers necessary, while other manufacturers have received concessions and support that have helped them win races more frequently.

In his view, BMW’s position is particularly frustrating because the manufacturer’s M 1000 RR remains one of the best motorcycles in road-racing specification. Against Yamaha’s R1 and especially Ducati’s Panigale V4 R, however, he says the BMW has lacked competitiveness in BSB. Hickman adds that BMW has never won the BSB championship and has not achieved consistent success in the series.

A move to another manufacturer could change Hickman’s willingness to compete in BSB, but he gives no indication that such a switch is being considered. For now, both his programme and Todd’s are centred on the roads, with that focus extending through the closing stages of 2026 and into 2027.

Hickman has already made his debut at the Oliver’s Mount event in Scarborough and entered the Southern 100 for the first time. He says he still misses BSB racing after 23 years in the paddock: the competition, his fellow riders and circuits such as Oulton Park and Cadwell Park. What he does not miss is the politics surrounding the championship. His summary of the team’s position is blunt: the BSB “ship has sailed” for LEW 8TEN Racing.