Redding reveals why he can’t wait to start BSB title attempt
BSB new boy happy after first test on Panigale V4
‘The team’s like a group of friends’
Scott Redding’s move from MotoGP to the Bennetts British Superbike championship for 2019 has been the subject of much debate since it was announced. Would the former Moto2 runnerup succeed in BSB? Could he get used to the British circuits after spending his entire career on the European or World stage? Would he be able to master a 230bhp superbike with no rider aids after riding some of the most advanced motorcycles in the world during his time in the premier class? While the answers to those questions aren’t yet clear, the 25-year-old was buoyant after getting his first taste of the Ducati V4 R superbike he’ll ride for the Be Wiser Ducati squad next year following his recent test at Jerez. Redding openly admits his confidence was in tatters after a disappointing year with the struggling Aprilia MotoGP squad, but after a run out on a World Superbike-spec V4 with rider aids turned off to mimic BSB rules, he is going into winter feeling good. “It was a really important test for me,” he told MCN. “I enjoyed it and had a lot of fun, which was the priority. I immediately gelled with the team, we were having a great craic together, everything is relaxed and a lot more my style. It’s more like a group of friends going riding, you can talk openly, no-one gets offended yet you still get the work done.
“It’s good to go into the winter break having had some fun on a bike again because this year hasn’t been fun at all. Coming here and enjoying it has reminded me I can ride, I’ve got a lot of my confidence back and now I can go into the next few months feeling good.”
While Redding felt good on the bike, he says it was difficult to know how well he was doing given the lack of reference points. Teammate Josh Brookes was on track at the same time, but also getting his first taste of the V4 R which is very different from the Yamaha R1 he’s ridden in recent years. “I have no experience on superbikes, so I don’t know how the bike should feel,” Redding explained. “Maybe if I saw some guys from WSB or BSB I would see, but I have no idea what the limit is. You’ve got a bike for a try out, but you don’t have anyone to compare to really, so I don’t know where the limit is. I was just improving a little bit at a time.
“I wouldn’t say it’s difficult to ride, but it will start to get harder when I push more because while my lap time was OK, it didn’t set the world on fire.”
As well as a vastly different bike, Redding has to familiarise himself with Pirelli tyres after riding Michelins in MotoGP for the last two years. The biggest difference with the Pirelli is that it moves about a lot more than the Michelin due to its softer construction.
“I’d say understanding the tyres is the biggest difference for me so far. I feel good with the rear, but I had a couple of big moments when the tyre started to wear and there were no electronics to help me. When the tyre lets go, it just goes so quickly; the initial drop is quite big but after that it’s OK.
“The front tyre is OK, but I have a vague feeling as I’m used to the harder, Michelin front in MotoGP and I’m attacking a bit like that at the minute with no idea where the limit is. It’s my first time on the bike so I want to take small steps rather than doing anything silly.”
The Be Wiser Ducati team are expected to take delivery of their V4 R machines in January, but with BSB riders set to face a testing ban until March it’ll be several months before Redding can ride his race bike again, but MCN understands the Brit will have several tests on a road-going V4 on Pirelli superbike rubber to help him acclimatise to his new environment.