8TEN Racing co-owner Davey Todd admits FHO Racing withdraꦉwing and the ܫformation of a new team for the 2025 Isle of Man TT “was a shock”.

The Fay Ho-run FHO Racing took over the Smiths Racing operation after the 2019 Isle of Man TT and became a force on the roads, with Peter Hickman winning seven big bike races for the outfi🔜t between 2022 and 2024.

FHO looked to be an even more formidable force in 20🌱25 𓃲after it signed double TT winner Todd to join Hickman, before the team sensationally withdrew from its race activities for this year.

This le🌸d Todd and Hickman to form 8TEN Racing, m📖aintaining much of the crew from the old FHO team as well as securing official BMW backing.

Todd admits it was “daunting” at first to take help run a team, but now has “an incredibly good feeling a෴bout it”.

“It honestly feels reꦦally good,” Todd said at the TT Live podcast recording.

“Honestly, I’m not going to say it felt good at the begin🤪ning.

“It was a shock a𓆏nd definit💝ely a daunting prospect.

“But after a while, with all the support, Pete working together with him and the whole 8TEN Racing team, the꧟ more time goes on the more I just get an incredibly good feeling about it.

“All th♍e people we have involved are really goo📖d people.

“They’re not only really good mech꧅anics and really good people running the team, and good in that sense, but they are our friends.

“When we go racing we want to have a good time as well, have a laugh and enjoy it. We 💮know a happy racer is a fa🎀st racer.

“We’re hoping to give that🍌 sort of vibe to it, where we can all enjoy our racing to the maximum. To win a race as the 🧜co-team owner and the rider would be something really cool.”

Peter Hickman: People will be surprised at how good team dynamic is

Fourteen-time TT winner Hickman a🦩lready has experience of running a team, having formed his PHR outfit a few years ago.

Much has been ཧmade about the dynamic of the 8TEN team, having two of the TT’s top names racing against each other.

For Hickman, “it doesn’t make any ཧdifference” having Todd as a team-mate because he’ll have to race him anyway a🔯nd believes people will be “surprised” at how good the atmosphere in the group is.

“It’s been an i𒁏nteresting thing from outside,” Hickman saiജd.

“I’ve never reallꦕy thought about it too much from being in the position that I’m in.

“Bu🍷t I’ve got to r🅘ace against Davey whether he’s in the same team as me or not. It doesn’t make any difference.

“But, I’m really looking forward to it.

“I think it’s going to be surprising for pr🍸obably a few people at how well we’re goin☂g to get on.

“We’re already getting on really, really well. We⛦ were mates already anyway.

“I think our friendship has ju𒁃st gotten stronger, in the last few months in particular.

“We’re calling it a꧃ brand-new team, but it’s𝄹 not really a new team.

“The people who are there are all pe🍃ople who we🤪 worked with in the past.

“Darren Jones, 🅠team manager, was team manager at FHO, was team manager at Smiths.

“So, it’s a long time he’s been with me. A lot of the crew📖 that’s with me, it’s my crew who’s been with me for a good f🌱ew years now.

“And the same on Davey’s siܫde. It’s a friendly team. Everyone is mates, we all get on, and it’s a really good atmosphere already.”