The FHO Racing rider came into the opening Superbike race of the week as one of the favourites for the victory, having been on the podium in the class every year since 2019.
While making a strong start on his BMW M1000RR, Hickman was out of the podium places and over 30 seconds down on race leader Michael Dunlop at the end of lap four of six when he came in for his final pitstop.
