By Ana Puerto / Motosan.es
Scott Redding (Gloucester, January 4, 1993) completes his second season as a WorldSBK rider, both with Ducati in the official Aruba Racing team. In 2020 he was able to consolidate a second place, 55 points behind Jonathan Rea, a distance which is not that great if we consider that there are three races every weekend in this championship. During the current season, we were able to chat with him at the Jerez round, and the British driver explained, among other things, why he decided to move to BMW for next year.
You are only a few points away from the top two in the championship, what do you expect from the last races of the year and what are your objectives?
Scott Redding: « Yes, we have to look at the championship honestly, because it's 60 points, which is a lot of points, but at the same time not that many. We have three races in one weekend. There is always potential to get more points and we have to see. For me, my goal is to go race by race, lap by lap, to try to score as many points as possible and try to win as many races as possible. »
On which circuits do you see yourself strongest between now and the end of the season?
« Yes, I think that in Navarre too I was quite strong, and also in Most. It's like the new tracks for me, because it's more equitable. These Superbike guys have many, many years of experience on all tracks with these tires and I have no experience as a rider, neither with Superbike, nor with Pirelli tires and so on. When we go to a new circuit, most of the time I'm first or fighting for victory. So that shows that there is one area where they have an advantage over me. »
From the outside, you seem happy at Ducati: why did you decide to change next season?
« To change teams it took a lot, but you know, we Ducati and Aruba, the team has been incredible for me. Honestly, they've been a great team, but sometimes you have to make a change. There is no problem with the team, nor with me, nor with them, nor with Ducati. Everything is fine. We didn't agree on some things and I have to look at what is best for me in the Superbike championship. And the feeling was to make a change and see if we can improve or gain something in this aspect. So it's not like in most cases where the rider doesn't feel good in the team. We felt good, but we couldn't do the last few things. »
There is a lot of competition this year, but which do you think is the best bike on the grid?
« I don't need to say Ducati. They do what they can, but there are manufacturers who can improve. And for me, Yamaha has made the biggest improvement this season. They showed more consistency and you see it with the drivers and the results. So we took a small step and they took a bigger step, because you also see them a lot more with Kawasaki: they took a good step forward »
What do you think of the generational change happening in both MotoGP and WorldSBK?
« In WorldSBK, it hasn't changed as much as in MotoGP. I think it's pretty crazy to put guys that young. For me, it's like a learning process. Moto3 two/three years, Moto2 two or even three years, and then you enter MotoGP. Now these guys do a year of Moto3, maybe two, and they go straight to MotoGP. First of all, I think there is a bit of insecurity because they are young and small guys who ride these motorcycles. And it's unfair for the other driver. If you've dedicated your whole life and in an instant they decide they want the youngest... »
« So if you don't perform well in two years, you're out and the next driver comes along. And I think, honestly, young riders are riding for way less money than they're worth. So a team will take a driver for half the amount of money to make, perhaps a similar result with the young driver. It's to feel their dream. But for the team owners it's about taking advantage of the situation a little bit, in my opinion, because a rider should have value on the bike. And with young riders, it's almost a lack of respect not to give them that value because they're young. »
« And that's why now the old ones are leaving and new young people are arriving: every year, if you don't want to move up, they move on to the next one. And I don't think it's really good for the championship, although it's good for the competition. But you won't have any legends. The legends are gone now and there are no more. So it's difficult on that side, but on the racing side, it's much better in recent years. »
Your victory in Race 1 in Barcelona was the 800th podium for Great Britain: how does it feel to be responsible for that?
« It's like a record. You are part of it. It's a big thing. For us it's great to have these things, but it's even better when a British rider wins a world title, and it's that person who does it. »
Some drivers have grip problems in the wet: how do you feel in these conditions?
« I don't have any grip either, I don't have any grip in the wet. I was just able to understand the situation and handle it the best I could. But I really had grip problems in Barcelona, as I think for everyone. In the first half of the race I was one of the slowest. I couldn't find my rhythm. And then the faster guys slowed down because they destroyed their tire and I was able to get there. But some circuits have a lot of grip in the rain and others don't. And I think in Barcelona, because there was a lot of grip in the rain. And I think that in Barcelona, because there was a lot of rubber since the weekend, and then the rain, it made the situation worse. I was happy to finish the race and win, because I didn't feel very comfortable. »
Do you think you could return to MotoGP in the future if you were WorldSBK champion before?
« Not really. I tried to come back. I've lobbied several times to come back, but they always tell me I'm too old. And then I see people like Dovizioso coming back. I am 28 years old. This is the problem I was talking to you about earlier with these young pilots, because they have pilots aged 18, 19, 20, so 28 is old, or they think it is old. For me, when I was in MotoGP, I wasn't in the best shape. I discovered that something clicked three years ago. And I become a better driver and a better person. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of course, I would have liked to come back to MotoGP, but I was told that I was too old, blah blah blah »
« Well, I'm not going to insist, Superbike welcomes me with open arms. I can bring in a lot of fans, a lot of revenue for them, because I have a lot of character. I am happy. The championships are great. The races are awesome, the community, the people. So I don't feel like I've lost anything. Just that it would have been nice to come back to MotoGP once, to show my true potential on a good bike. But you can always have a second chance in life. It's like that. This is where I am. »
Read the original article on Motosan.es
Anna Port
Photo credit: Federico Cappelli (Aruba Ducati) & WorldSBK
