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After the Phillip Island weekend where, with three third places, he demonstrated that he was in great form and also very consistent, Scott Redding also pulled his claws out at Jerez, making the jump from third to the highest step in Race 1 and 2 and only surrendering to Jonathan Rea in the Superpole Race. Scott also outperformed everyone else in Saturday qualifying taking the Ducati Panigale V4R to a level that had only been seen in the first races of last season with the streak of victories by Alvaro Bautista.
Scott, you are first in the standings, you won two races this weekend and started from pole position in Race 1 and in the Superpole Race. All at your debut season in this championship, how does it feel?
“I'm really happy with what I did this weekend - Scott told us in the press room after Race 2 - I have to say that racing last year in the British Superbike championship helped me a lot. Yesterday, when I was on pole on the starting grid it seemed normal to me and this is thanks to what I did in 2019. Usually, when you are in front of everyone, you are uncomfortable, you feel the pressure, yesterday I was calm".
Where does all this tranquillity come from? You mentioned BSB, but it seems like a path that started long before a year ago…
“Everything I am doing now; all this tranquillity and concentration comes from the step backward I made in my career. There was a period when things were not going well, I hated myself and everyone around me, nobody wanted me in MotoGP or SBK, so I took a step back. I put myself to the test and now I want to show that I can do it "
What sort of race was it this afternoon?
"Hot and difficult, it was the first time that I led an SBK race virtually from start to finish and I must say that it was really difficult, both for me and for my tyres. This type of racing makes me improve because I am starting to understand the championship, all the information and sensations that I collected on the bike today will be useful for the future ".
Are you surprised to see the Ducati so strong on a track where engine power doesn't count so much?
"I don't know why we went so well this weekend, the thing that surprised me was that I was fast and that I felt good even when I was riding behind someone, I was at my level. I knew I could push even in those circumstances while the other riders had problems. "
In Portimao, however, the straight is really long. At this point do you feel the favourite for the next weekend?
"Portimao is not only a straight though, there are also a lot of curves and it is a difficult track that requires a lot of physical effort, especially in the heat"
As we said before, you are leading the standings 24 points ahead of Rea. A nice gap after only two weekends and above all in view of such a short season like this one...
“The championship isn't over until it's over, and Rea proved it last year by winning against Bautista. Now I'm first but it's still early and my job is to continue to be fast and consistent. "
Audio recorded by Riccardo Guglielmetti
