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SBK, A tearful Redding rues missed opportunity after Aragon crash

"Frustrating to see Rinaldi win with the same bike, but I'm happy for him. I struggled with the front tyre. I can win on every track and this championship."

SBK: A tearful Redding rues missed opportunity after Aragon crash

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A Ducati won at Aragon, but it was not the Ducati that one expected. Rinaldi made a masterpiece of a race at MotorLand and by the time he crossed the line, Scott Redding was already in the garage, disconsolate after a crash, his first this year. Not much satisfaction therefore today, because Rea with the 2nd place extended his lead in the standings and is now 30 points ahead of the Brit, who did not hold back the tears when he returned to his garage.

"It doesn't happen often - smiled Redding I just feel very passionate and I really believe I can win this title, but today I gave the points away".

What happened?

"I don't know, it was a little bit out of my control to be honest. We struggled a lot both last weekend and this weekend with the front tyre to make it work over a race distance. We improved the bike, but we struggled with the performance of the front tyre. In the three laps before I crashed, turns 1, 5 and 10 and the last corner the front tyre was just going, going, going ".

Did you think something could go wrong?

“I didn't expect to crash in Turn 4, I felt good there all weekend so I was really surprised, but there was just nothing from the tyre, it was pushing away and there was nothing I could do, which was a bit of a shame".

You were unable to ride the way you wanted?

“It is a strange situation and not ideal, because I cannot make maximum performance with it. The most frustrating thing was when you see Rinaldi it was like he was on a Sunday cruise with his friends, his performance was very good. I am very happy for him to win his first race, but we have the same manufacturer bike and I cannot come close. From my side I give everything, the team as well, but it’s just not working”.

Wouldn't it have been better to be more cautious?

“Today I was in a position thinking do I keep pushing to try to catch Rea or settle for 4th place. I want to win the championship so I don’t settle for that, unfortunately I crashed. It's frustrating".

Are you paying for the lack of experience as it is your first season in WorldSBK?

“I want to win the title; I don't care about the fact that this is my first season in World SBK. Now we have Magny-Cours, Barcelona, ​​Estoril, 11 races left. The problem is that the rider I have to get the points from is very consistent and very smart. I can't give him points; I need to apply pressure all the time. I gave him a little bit of breathing space which is not ideal. Do I say just forget the championship and think about winning races, but I don't want to do that. I need the team to give me a bike that can win, if I have it, I can win at every circuit and even the championship, without any issues. It’ll be what it’ll be, I won’t give up now, even if 30 points are a lot, if I’m going to give up I might as well stay at home ”.

Audio recorded by Riccardo Guglielmetti

 

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