Scott Redding had a lively 2022 season in WSBK, but probably not in the way he would have liked. Having left Ducati where Alvaro Bautista successfully succeeded him, he was unable to give his M1000RR a change from his old Panigale V4R, far from it. A frustration which would have fueled, according to some, its crusade for a new homologation weight scale, taking into account the mass of the rider... But even with ballast, the Ducati will still remain out of reach, because the BMW must fundamentally change on a point that the Englishman clearly identifies…
By blowing its now 30 candles, Scott Redding also recognized that “ 2022 has been a challenge ". Even adding: “ I expected things to be a little easier ". They were so complicated that the Bavarian brand came close to finishing last among its peers engaged in WSBK. For a few points, the wooden spoon was left to Honda, which is a series of cutlery since the same symbol has been validated in MotoGP.
At Donington Park, Most and Magny-Cours, Scott Redding reached the podium in his first season with BMW, and the 2020 world vice-champion on Ducati held positions 5-9 in most races. His record is an eighth place in the championship, which makes him the best driver of the coat of arms who cannot rejoice in a year far from expectations.
Scott Redding: “ the engine needs to become more user friendly, but this requires a lot of development and time«
Will 2023 be the year that will reveal the potential of M1000RR. It's worth seeing, because if you listen carefully Scott Redding, the Bavarian woman suffers from a deep illness… “ We need to work on the character of the engine », underlined the Englishman on speedweek. " You just have to watch me ride: I don't drive hard, I play with the accelerator. The engine needs to become more user-friendly, but this requires a lot of development and time ».
He adds : " other bikes feel better in the hand. In fast corners I feel good on the BMW and I'm fast too. But in corners where you need a lot of mechanical grip and feel, we're way off. Then the rear wheel spins a lot, so I ride with a lot of traction control. Until now we have been unable to find a good path. So we need to focus on this area ". And he is affirmative: “ I think we can change the bike a lot with this ».
Some new chassis components have already been used in 2022 at the last two events in Australia and Indonesia as well as during testing in Jerez in December. Six more days of testing are planned for the quartet BMW Redding, Michael van der Mark, Loris Baz and newcomer Garrett Gerloff, before the season begins on the last weekend of February in Australia. We will therefore see the BMW at work on January 25/26 in Jerez, January 31 and February 1 in Portimao and February 20/21 in Phillip Island…
