Peter Hickman Targets 400mph – Why Britain's Fastest TT Rider Wants to Go Even Faster
Peter Hickman has already demonstrated extraordinary courage and skill on the Isle of Man Mountain Course. Now the British racer is preparing for an entirely different challenge, joining a project that aims to take a motorcycle beyond 400mph.
There are few motorcycle racers who understand speed quite like Peter Hickman. His achievements at the Isle of Man TT have established him among the most accomplished road racers of his generation, while his outright Mountain Course lap record of 136.358mph, set in 2023, remains one of the most remarkable performances in the event's history.
To appreciate that achievement, consider what averaging more than 136mph actually involves. The Mountain Course stretches for almost 38 miles, passing through villages, sweeping across open countryside and climbing over the mountain itself. Every corner, bump and change in road surface demands absolute concentration, with little margin for error.
Yet Hickman is now preparing to explore an entirely different dimension of motorcycle performance. He has joined the British Greyhound Land Speed Record project, an ambitious engineering programme aiming to break the outright motorcycle land speed record and become the first to officially exceed 400mph.
It is an extraordinary target, particularly for a rider whose reputation has been built around mastering some of the most demanding public-road racing circuits in the world.
The British Greyhound Project and Its 400mph Target
The GreyhoundLSR team is developing a purpose-built motorcycle streamliner powered by two turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa engines. Unlike a conventional racing motorcycle, the machine features a fully enclosed aerodynamic body designed to minimise resistance while maintaining stability at extreme speeds.
The existing outright motorcycle land speed record stands at 376.363mph, achieved by American racer Rocky Robinson aboard the Ack Attack streamliner at Bonneville in 2010. Breaking that record would be a significant achievement in itself, but the British team has set its sights on exceeding the 400mph barrier.
The proposed record attempt is planned for Hakskeen Pan in South Africa, where the enormous, flat expanse provides the uninterrupted distance needed for such extraordinary speeds. Even with approximately 12 miles of suitable running surface, the engineering challenges are considerable, particularly when acceleration, stability and safe deceleration must all be accommodated.
Unlike a racing circuit, there are no corners to negotiate and no competitors to overtake. Nevertheless, travelling at more than six miles per minute creates its own demands, with aerodynamic forces and mechanical reliability becoming critical considerations.
For Hickman, it represents a completely different approach to motorcycle racing, requiring close cooperation with engineers and an entirely new understanding of how the machine behaves.
Designing a Motorcycle Around the Rider
One of the most fascinating aspects of the project is the effort required to accommodate Hickman within the streamliner's narrow aerodynamic body. At approximately 6ft 2in tall, he is hardly the ideal shape for engineers attempting to reduce the frontal area of a vehicle designed to travel at more than 400mph.
The team has used three-dimensional scanning to establish the space required for his riding position, ensuring that the machine can accommodate him while maintaining the aerodynamic efficiency essential to its performance.
Recent footage of Hickman trying the streamliner for size illustrates just how different the experience will be from riding a Superbike. On the Isle of Man, he constantly adjusts his body position, transfers weight and responds instinctively to the road beneath him. Inside the Greyhound, his movement will be severely restricted, with the surrounding structure designed to minimise drag and protect the rider.
That creates an interesting engineering compromise. The motorcycle must be compact enough to achieve its speed ambitions while allowing sufficient room for the rider to operate the controls safely and maintain awareness of the machine's behaviour.
It also demonstrates that the project is about considerably more than installing powerful engines inside a streamlined body.
Why 400mph Is About More Than Horsepower
The two turbocharged Hayabusa engines are expected to provide the substantial power required to overcome aerodynamic resistance, but horsepower alone will not determine whether the project succeeds.
As speed increases, aerodynamic drag rises dramatically, making the shape and stability of the machine critical. Tyre performance, steering characteristics, mechanical reliability and surface conditions all become increasingly important, while even relatively small disturbances can have serious consequences at extreme speed.
The engineering team must also consider the requirements for an officially recognised record. Reaching a high speed momentarily is not sufficient; record attempts must satisfy the relevant timing and regulatory requirements, including the necessary measured runs.
It is therefore a challenge that combines exceptional engineering with careful preparation and disciplined execution. The machine must perform reliably, the conditions must be suitable and the rider must remain completely focused throughout each attempt.
For a racer accustomed to reacting to rapidly changing corners and road surfaces, the psychological demands may also be quite different. Instead of constantly adjusting speed and direction, Hickman will need to maintain control and concentration while the motorcycle accelerates towards a speed few people have ever experienced on two wheels.
What Drives a Racer Who Has Already Achieved So Much?
Perhaps the most interesting question is why Hickman wants to take on such an extraordinary challenge.
He has already enjoyed considerable success in motorcycle racing, established himself as one of the fastest riders ever to compete at the Isle of Man and demonstrated the determination required to perform at the highest level.
For many people, those achievements would represent more than enough.
Yet there is something about the nature of competitive motorcycling that continually encourages riders and engineers to explore new limits. Records are not simply numbers in a book; they represent years of development, determination and the willingness to attempt something that previously seemed beyond reach.
The Mountain Course rewards experience, precision and the ability to maintain extraordinary speeds through constantly changing conditions. Land speed racing presents a different challenge, where aerodynamic efficiency, engineering development and controlled acceleration become central to success.
Hickman's involvement brings proven racing experience to a project that will depend heavily on technical expertise and teamwork. It is not simply another race for an established competitor, but an opportunity to participate in an attempt to push motorcycle performance into previously unexplored territory.
Can Britain Reclaim the Motorcycle Land Speed Record?
The Greyhound project continues a long tradition of British engineering ambition, combining innovative thinking with the determination to challenge established records.
There is still considerable development work ahead, and no confirmed date has been announced for the record attempt. Until the motorcycle completes the required runs, the 400mph target remains an ambition rather than an achievement.
Nevertheless, the project already offers a compelling story about the relationship between rider and machine. Hickman may be the person inside the streamliner, but success will depend equally on the engineers, technicians and support team responsible for preparing it.
For a rider who has spent much of his career finding speed through corners, the prospect of travelling beyond 400mph in a straight line must represent a remarkable new experience.
Peter Hickman has already proved that he can master one of the most demanding motorcycle racing circuits in the world. Now he is preparing to help answer an entirely different question: just how fast can a British-built motorcycle really go?
Whatever the eventual outcome, it promises to be a fascinating chapter in the continuing pursuit of motorcycle speed.