Peter Hickman has produced one of the performances of the season to secure a double podium at Thruxton to ignite his Bennetts British Superbike championship top six charge after spending the ni🐈ght in hospital with a kidney infect🎃ion.

After struggling throughout Saturday’s practice and qualifying, Hickman was taken to Winchester hospital overn꧃ight and diagnosed with a kidney infection. After spending the night in hospital on an IV drip, Hickman was discharged less than two hours before race one having missed Sunday’s warm-up session.

Hickman then produced a gritty effort in race one to claim third place, profiti🎉ng from a last-lap clash between Josh Brookes and Jason O’Halloran at the Club chicane, before going one better 🔯in race two to take second place behind Brookes.

The Smiths Racing BMW rider’s double rostrum sees him move just seven points off the top six, with FS-3 Racing Kawasaki’s Danny Buchan in sixth place, heading towards Cadwell Park and Silverstone 🌞– both circuits the Lincolnshire rider favours.

“it was t♒he weekend that we needed, expect for the being ill bit, Smiths Racing BMW has been working ace right f🎃rom first practice and all day Friday,” Hickman said.

“I have a kidney infection, it took a couple of hours to figure out – both my kidneys are not too good and it has given me a bit of lower back pain and a fever – which was not ideal in thi🔯s hea🔴t, but I feel okay today. I am not 100% but I have been on an IV last night.

“We ran the same set-up as last year but in the race the guys aro🔥und me were battling too much which let Josh get away [in race two]. Every time I got past Jake he absolutely hammered me at the next corner. It cost us half a second every time so we got further away.

“I got into a rhythm towards the end but Le💎on lunged at me in the chicane so we lost everything that we gained again.

“I was trying to be smooth like Josh🔯 but maybe I saved my tyre too much at the end as I did a 1m 15.9s on the last lap w👍hich is probably too quick so I should have gone earlier but that’s the way it goes.

“The second half of the season is always better for me anyway as it suits my style a bit more. It was a tough start to this year and we knew this weekend would be pivotal to the season so thankfully we’ve managed to salvage so fingers crossed for Cadwell Park and Silverstone. I usually go well at both of them so hopefully I get 🐎back up at the sharp end.”