A Most impressive display by Redding
North motor sport with ZOE BURN
GUISBOROUGH World Superbike team boss Shaun Muir watched his rider and squad silence the critics with a podium in the Czech Republic yesterday.
Muir, who runs the BMW Motorrad SBK squad, was delighted after Brit Scott Redding crossed the line third at Autodrom Most.
The former British Superbike champion and Motogp rider narrowly missed out on second place, as he was forced wide by reigning WSB champ Toprak Razgatlioglu in a last-lap scrap.
Despite running off the track, Redding was able to keep position from six-time champ Jonathan Rea to take his first full race podium since joining Muir’s squad this season.
Yesterday’s result follows a tough start to the season for Muir, Redding and the whole squad.
Not only have the results just not come, the team has been without its longest standing rider, Michael van der Mark, for a few months after the Dutchman was injured in a crash.
Following a third place in the Superpole sprint at his home round Donington Park a fortnight ago, Redding proved it was no fluke as he arrived at Most and was quick during free practice before hitting the podium yesterday.
“It was mega that,” said a delighted Muir last night. “We’ve taken a lot of criticism since the winter period. Since Scott joined us, we’ve kept our head down and yeah, he deserved that one.
“It’s halfway through the year and when we got to Donington – we always knew that around then would be when we’d just start to feel our feet – it was good for us but we knew if we could carry it into Most it would be fantastic because if we could bring it here we know we can carry it on all year.
“In FP1 we had a good smile on our faces, we knew straight away. Scott said ‘look, if it goes well with or without rain I could be on the podium’ and he’s just proved it.
“He’s a battler, that there was a proper fight, you’ve seen the real Scott Redding there. I think he’s silenced a few critics. We just want to finish the year and try and get that fourth position in the championship now and just keep progressing forward.”
The squad was last night back in the pit garage working out strategies for today’s two races – starting with the 10-lap Superpole Sprint this morning which will determine the grid for this afternoon’s full-length race.
With van der Mark still out, this weekend the team is running multiple TT and reigning Senior TT winner Peter Hickman from the FHO Racing BSB squad as Redding’s team-mate, but with van der Mark due back next round, Muir says it’s all coming together.
“He’s over the moon with this result and knows what he’s coming back to,” he added. “Michael and Scott are my team and we can’t wait to all be back together.”