Scott Redding values BMW's choice to create a team dedicated to the development of the M1000RR: will the turning point come in 2024?
About Matteo Bellan de Motoracing
BMW's 2023 World Superbike season has not been brilliant and Scott Redding certainly didn't live up to expectations. He should have been at least the best driver of the German brand, but he was beaten by Garrett Gerloff who was in his first year with the M1000RR and who will be his partner in the Bonovo Action team in 2024. The Englishman leaves his place in the official team to Toprak Razgatlioglu, but will continue to benefit from significant technical treatment and will be expected to produce results.
Relegation to the Bonovo Action team could be a good thing for Redding, who already felt comfortable in the new box during the first test in Jerez. He felt a more relaxed atmosphere with less pressure than he had previously experienced at Ducati et BMW, where expectations are inevitably high. That doesn't mean it will be easy. Jurgen Röder's team also wants to achieve results.
Additionally, Bonovo Action is an important structure for the development of the M1000RR and driver data is crucial to the project. The two teams BMW collaborate closely and can now count on additional support: the Test team. The German company announced this news, with the hiring of two expert test pilots such as Sylvain Guintoli et Bradley Smith. A step that demonstrates how much the Munich company cares about succeeding in Superbike and beyond.
Scott Redding: “ all major manufacturers have a test team and the fact that BMW reacted quickly is a good thing »
The decision to BMW can only be positively received by drivers. Redding, interviewed by Speedweek, gave his point of view: “ in our situation, a test team certainly brings something. A test driver can only handle things that the manufacturer makes available to him, testing parts on track helps speed up development. This was a key decision for us going forward. All major manufacturers have a test team and the fact that BMW reacted quickly is a good thing ».
The 2019 BSB champion is very happy that BMW decided to raise his level to try to impose himself. Testers can focus solely on development and free up work for regular pilots: “ we don't have much time to test new parts– he adds – and the test drivers really test, without having to worry about the stopwatch. When testing I focus on package development, others worry about time. I rarely fit qualifying tires. I don't want to risk an accident to be in the rankings. For some manufacturers, teams and drivers, however, it is important. This was the case with BMW in the past, but I made it clear to them that it was not important. It’s important to do our work”. We will see if a turning point comes in 2024.
