SBK, Scott Redding and the tug-of-war with BMW: why can't he test the Ducati?

Scott Redding's 2025 was supposed to start last week at Jerez, but unfortunately something went wrong. Ducati made a big effort to bring a test team bike to Andalusia so that the Briton could have a couple of outings before the end of the year.

The Ducati was there present in the box and eventually remained there for the entire Tuesday without being switched on. It was later loaded onto the truck and then returned to base amid the general displeasure of those present. Many wondered: how come the MGM rider could not test the Panigale?

As we all well know, exactly three years ago Scott Redding signed a contract with BMW until the end of the 2025 season, i.e., a four-year contract. Since the Munich-based manufacturer has reduced its commitment to Superbike next year, there were no more available seats for the Briton. BMW could have paid Scott and kept him idle for a year at home or diverted him to another championship, such as Endurance or America.

In the end, however, the #45 found in the Ducati-MGM project a way out, resulting in an early contract termination. Unfortunately, however, it seems that the talk related to the Briton's severance still holds sway, because no agreement was reached on this aspect. Precisely for this reason, considering that the contract ends in December, the Monaco-based company did not give the green light to Scott's test with the Ducati at Jerez.

On the subject the #45 has not said anything let alone BMW, which has opted for silence. At Jerez everyone was waiting for a document from BMW that could have given the go-ahead for the rider to take to the track, but unfortunately this never arrived, thus sending the test up in smoke. The only certainty is that in this 2024 season Scott Redding will not test the Ducati. He will therefore have to wait until January, at the first test of the new year, not least because MGM will only have the Rossa at its disposal at the end of November, waiting then to put all the pieces together.

It was all a bit of a cold shower then for Scott, who will now be forced to play catch-up ahead of the start of the 2025 season in Australia.