THE REAL REDDING

FB: You have gone on record as saying you nearly walked away from the sport at the end of 2018 after your MotoGP tenure with Aprilia came to an end. Did you really feel that bad?

SR: It all just started to wear me out. I don’t go out there because I just like riding a bike, I go with one aim in mind and that is to win. I put a lot of effort, hard work and dedication into trying to win and if I can’t win, or at least finish where I think I should be, it becomes a bit pointless. That’s what happened in MotoGP. I got some good results, but it never really got better and then the last year with Aprilia just about finished me off. I was down and out, and it was just ruining me. FB:You must have doubted yourself at that time and had to do some real soul-searching in order to continue your career.

SR: I took consolation from the fact that it wasn’t me. We tried so much on the bike many times over, I tried so hard to make it better, but then realisation hits home that this might be the end. I might not have it any more, I’m done. It happens all the time, one minute you’re a GP rider, the next you’re history. Just fade away. But deep down I knew there were reasons. I knew the bike was shit, but the other rider seemed to be doing ok so I thought it must be me. FB: So how did the PBM deal come about to race in BSB? You have an association with Paul Bird going back to your junior days, so what convinced you BSB was the way to go?

SR:I said to my manager (Michael Bartholemy – former Marc VDS GP Team Manager – Ed) at the end of 2018 to find me a bike and a team anywhere in the world that is competitive and would allow me to show I can win again. If I couldn’t, that would be the end for me. We had a couple of offers in Moto2 and next thing, we had some interest from Birdy who had heard I was looking for a job and proposed a deal, so it went from there. FB: Many said it was a massive step down from MotoGP, bypassing Moto2 and World Superbikes, racing at tracks you’d never seen. You surely had some doubts yourself?

SR: Being totally honest, BSB wasn’t my first choice on the list as I was on the verge of signing for a very good Moto2 team. The deal was about done in Austria and then they signed a different rider who brought some money. I don’t have budgets to take to teams and I will never pay to ride as it’s my job. There were some possibilities in WSB, but nothing of real interest and I said to my manager, whatever I do, I need to be competitive, whether it’s fucking jet-ski-ing, I don’t care. The offer from PBM was great, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to make that big step down, but I thought fuck it, I know the bike and team will be good and BSB is a great series, let’s give it a go. FB: When did you know you’d made the right decision?

SR: I jumped on the new Ducati Panigale V4 R at a test in Jerez and was immediately fast again. It made me believe in myself again and I regained something I thought I had lost. That is why I was so ecstatic when I won my first race in BSB at Donington. It was at that point that I realised I’d fallen back in love with racing. FB: A lot of people said you’d struggle this season because of the unknown tracks, the close barriers at some, the new bike, a new and uncompromising high-profile team, the weather, etc. Other GP and WSB ‘superstars’ had tried, and many had failed, so there were lots of traps set for you?

SR: Those other ‘superstars’ are not me. People forget my background and the person that I am. I try not to complain too much and just get on with things. If it’s me, it’s me, if it’s the bike, it’s the bike. I said when I arrived at Oulton Park for the first time it scared the shit out of me, but I’m here to win races, not cry about it. That’s how my life has been, it’s normal for me. At no time was I worried about the new tracks. I went on record at the start of the season saying that, but you’ll always get your critics and doommongers. I heard stories about what this MotoGP superstar – which I’ve never considered myself to be – was going to do, or not do as the case may be. I work hard and keep my feet on the ground, which sets me apart from others. FB: What’s been the hardest thing to adapt to or deal with in BSB this season?

SR: I’ve loved every second of my season, there’s nothing negative I can say. I’ve enjoyed less travelling as that’s all I’d done for 15 years so to have a year out was great. The fans have been fantastic; the circuits fun to ride; the organisation brilliant; the team has done a mega job; and the bike has been awesome, so I guess the hardest bit has been the massive learning curve every weekend. FB: The one factor which has been noticeable this year is the way the BSB fans have taken to you. Shakey and Walker were massively popular, but you seem to be right up there, too?

SR: The fans have been fantastic all season long. It’s funny, as some of those who were quite critical of me at the start now support me. I think that is because at MotoGP, it’s all sterile and clinical and it doesn’t really allow your real personality to shine through. People didn’t know me, but when they found out what the real Scott Redding was like, they started taking to me. In MotoGP, it’s all corporate and they tell you what to say and who to say it to,. In BSB I can say what I want to who I want, and the fans get access to you. I can be myself and you can see by the way I celebrate and do my own things that the fans love all that crazy shit. My fans are my friends which is why I connect so well with them.