Scott Redding
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 2019 BSB Champion.
You know one of those weekends where you want no mishaps? Especially when you’re on the verge of winning the British Superbike title? I just wanted to do what I had to do and just trickle through the weekend. Having got into Q3, I knew we had a good chance of getting pole position, but then the bike cut out and I thought, ‘Oh no, what is that?!’ I knew then that I wasn’t going to make it back to the pits and we were going to qualify 9th, which is not what we wanted heading into race 1 in the afternoon.
There was no fuel in the bike. We did some changes to the set up between Q2 and Q3, and one of the guys forgot to put the fuel in. I was a bit mad and said: “You know what boys, I’m not happy, but it is what it is, and it could have been worse. It could have happened in Q1 and I’d be starting at the back of the grid.” In the end, I did the best we could, and third in that race 1 was enough, but I had to have a word with myself as I was battling in 6th with a few laps to go. I was like, ‘Fucking hell Scott, wake up!’ I had to send it or put it in the hedge. I couldn’t risk it.
In race 2, I was a bit more fired up, but more relaxed at the same time because I was on the front row. I went into this must-win mode. I also went into this year telling myself that, even if I have a good lead, I can’t even think about saving championship points – because that’s part of the reason I lost out on the Moto2 world championship. I was sitting behind Brookes and thought, ‘I’m going to have a go at winning this thing.’ I know a lot of people were wondering what the hell I was doing when I passed him into Paddock Hill! But it was only when I passed Josh that I realised I was in a danger zone because I was in a position where he could have me down. If I was him, I’d probably run straight into the side of me at Druids, so when I heard him, I let him through and just pushed him to the line.
I went off the start in race 3, feeling comfortable, settled into a rhythm and then, ‘baaarrrrrrrp!’ I thought, fuck me, the end can is hanging off. All sorts of stuff went through my head: the exhaust is gonna come off; it’s gonna go under the wheel; it’s gonna send me to the moon. I was panicking hard and thinking they were gonna black flag me. It was so bad, I was riding down the start straight at ¾ throttle so the noise metre wouldn’t trip! The whole race, it did my head in, but then I saw the flag and thought, ‘Do what the fuck you want now. The job is done.’ It turns out the exhaust headers had blown a hole that I could fit my fist inside, but we’d done it. We succeeded in what we came to do.
The after party got pretty litty, but I had to get up at 6.30am the next morning for a flight to Valencia and a
private test on the WorldSBK. I had loads of photos and TV stuff to do after the race, so I ended up drinking shit champagne to get a bit lively before getting back to the motorhome, which was soon on its side. We were first into the party, sent it, and first to leave at 1am, but I couldn’t get too loose because we had a three-day test on the new girl.
I wasn’t really feeling a three-day test so soon after the weekend, but I soon got into it! The bikes I was riding were the Ducati Corse test bikes and Pirro was there with the MotoGP bike, so it was a good chance to get used to electronics again, and to get acquainted with the new Pirelli tyres. To be honest, we were pretty fast, which surprised them really. On a MotoGP bike, I did a 31.5 and on the SBK, I did a 32.3. I’m really happy with the transition so far and feel like – as a rider – I've improved this year, but I’m looking forward to getting on track with some other boys, as all I had to play with was Pirro on a Desmosedici, which was fun!
I just want to thank all of you for your support this season, and throughout my career. This championship is for all that support and it means a lot to me. Here’s to 2020. Full send...