The atmosphere of home has restored the spirits of Scott Redding, who is having his best weekend of the season at the Donington Park track. Concluding Superpole with an excellent third place, the British rider also put in a good performance in Race 1, where he managed to fight for the podium for most of the race. Before having to surrender to a technical problem in the last few laps, which forced the retirement of his M 1000 RR, when he was occupying the fifth position.
"We had a technical problem. It wasn't an electrical problem, which is good, and it wasn't really even an engine problem, but a component problem," Scott explained at the end of the day. " It's unfortunate that it happened in the race, but these things happen. It happened at the wrong time, but on the bright side, I felt like I was in the game today. "
Despite the disappointing end of the race, Redding can indeed console himself with the fact that he has returned to positions he has not seen in quite some time.
"I didn't have great feelings in the race, as it had been for most of the weekend. We had to opt for the SC0 to make sure the tire had the right durability for the race. It wasn't my favorite tire but we didn't have an alternative, so I knew I was going to run a little defensively. I was struggling a little bit to stop the bike, which was also sliding more at the rear, however, I had a good time and I was able to stay in the top positions," explained the BMW rider, recounting what it felt like to be back fighting for the positions that matter: "It's different on a mental level, because it had been a long time now since I had been up front and when you're up there and you have potential the pressure is very different. You're a little bit calmer because you don't have 10 riders around you, but you have to focus more. It was strange to be back in front, but it was good."
Despite a less-than-perfect feeling, the 31-year-old managed to stay in the running for a podium spot for a long time, but he is not sure it was a result really within his reach in Race 1.
"It would have been a close fight. I don't know how it could have gone with the tire drop, but even last year I had gone better in the finale. I saw that Nicolò was struggling a bit with the front tire and I told myself I should pass him, but because I was on the limit under braking I got stuck there," he explained, "I think in the end Alvaro had more pace, because he had come up very strong from behind, while Alex was already further ahead, so I think the podium would have been no small feat, but fighting for the podium is another story. We'll see tomorrow if we can get on it."
Speaking more specifically about the fight with the two Ducati riders, and the two overtakes he suffered, Redding then clarified why he found himself cutting the chicane on both occasions.
"Television doesn't do justice to how late the maneuvers were there, because in that chicane there is only one line to follow," he pointed out, " With the SC0 I lacked performance in stopping the bike, I was really on the limit, and when Bulega came in, I lost the moment of corner entry, I could have ended up in the gravel, so I pulled straight. Then when Alvaro came in, he passed me quite late in the corner, and if I had continued I think I would have crashed. So, I went for the cut again. I was lucky that there was that little straight, but if the bike had more performance with this type of tire, I wouldn't have needed to do that. I could have stayed on the line and then been more consistent in the race."
Struggling throughout the first part of the season, how did Scott suddenly take such a sharp step forward?
"I had said at Misano that we had taken steps forward that I couldn't show. It wasn't easy, because it wasn't the direction we expected," he explained, " This weekend was difficult, but now we know where we need to be, we have a goal, and we know where we need to look when we're not where we want to be. The tires changed everything a little bit, but when we can get a couple of things right and I can drive my way, then I can gain confidence. That's kind of what I did this weekend. When you're more competitive you have to be more focused and precise in your riding and I can do that, but I need to get some rust off."
While it was not a determining factor, being on his home track also still gave Redding a good hand.
"It's strange because it's been difficult so far here, so I wasn't expecting wonders. The bike seems to be working a little better, but for me there were areas where it was better last year. Now my strengths have become my weaknesses, but overall I'm still doing well here," he commented, "When you're in front, you have more motivation and start to believe in it more, whereas when you're struggling you start to wonder if you can do it. I always believe I can do it because that's what Toprak is doing. For me it's not the best to see him win since it's something I would like to do, but on the other hand it's also good because it means the bike is capable of doing it."
Speaking specifically about the difference Razgatlioglu is making, Scott added,"He is a special rider. People say I can do the same. But honestly no, I can't. If I want to achieve the same lap time I can't do it by doing what he does, I have to do it differently. I am not afraid to say that he is a rider of the new generation. That doesn't mean that one day he can't be beaten, but right now he shows that he is confident, that he understands the bike and uses it to its full potential. Yesterday he was the fastest even though he used the SC0. I thought he would take off half a second with the SCX and another half with the SCQ, so I expected him to be fast in qualifying, but today he really impressed me. But what are you going to do about it? When you see a guy doing those times with race tires, with an SCQ he can't help but stamp himself against the wall, or make a phenomenal time."
Can Alvaro Bautista and the Ducati stand a chance against a Toprak like that?
"I don't know. Toprak is a step ahead right now and he is very intelligent. Last year when he was fighting with Alvaro he would give 100 percent when the lights went out, he would battle as hard as he could and then as he went. Now he's ahead, he knows how to manage the tire, he knows his strengths and even today I saw firsthand how well he works with this package," Redding replied. "Alvaro was able once again to make a comeback, but for me Toprak can get to the front 9 times out of 10 because of his grit, determination, the risks he takes and his braking style. He has that advantage and is riding phenomenally."