John McGuinness reckons Redding could be a BSB winner but it may take time
Our man reckons MotoGP outcast will struggle at the start of 2019
‘HE WON’T GET HIS DRINKS HANDED TO HIM IN BIRDY’S TEAM’
It will be interesting to see Scott Redding coming to British Superbikes. He’s won Moto2 races, 125cc races, was the youngest grand prix winner ever when he won at Donington all those years ago. He’s had a rough time with the Aprilia thing though. It’s not really worked out for him. He’s definitely got the talent, he’s got the minerals to do it, but BSB is a different ball game to MotoGP. There are no fancy electronics, it’s on Pirelli tyres and then there’s the new Ducati V4 he’ll be riding. It’s a lot to take on. There are a lot of riders in BSB with stacks of experience, they know the tracks inside out, they know how it works, they know where to be on track and they know the weather. In MotoGP the weather is usually pretty pleasant, even if it rains it’s still pretty warm. There’s quite a bit of pressure on him. Birdy [team boss Paul Bird] will be wanting him to deliver. I think he will struggle to start with, he isn’t just going to walk in and start turning the regulars over.
I hope he keeps his head up and keeps strong and focused. If he wants this badly enough, it’ll work for him. He needs to accept it’s different; in MotoGP riders seem to get everything, their drinks handed to them etc. That ain’t happening in Birdy’s team. It’s a load of northern lads mucking in together. They are the most successful team on the grid so they will expect results. In British Superbikes you have to put your balls on the line, you have to be prepared to bash handlebars. Some of these tracks aren’t as forgiving as some of the MotoGP circuits, but if he can get over that then he should be OK, but he will have a target on his back.