It may not be as uphill as the three-year stint in BMW was, but this return to a Ducati is still proving to be a bit more problematic than Scott Redding would have imagined. Adjusting to the Panigale V4 R entered by the MGM Bonovo Racing team is taking longer than expected for the British rider, with whom we shared a long chat before hostilities began at the Cremona track. In his team's pit box, Scott did not shy away from GPone's questions, and with his usual honesty, he told us about his plans for the season and the near future.
Scott, how much has changed for you in the last few months?
"It has changed a lot, because in BMW it was more difficult than I expected. I expected some progress over the years, but we haven't improved enough. So, it was quite challenging mentally as well. When I had the opportunity to get back on the Ducati, in a way it felt like home. I really like the Panigale V4 R. There are many things I like about this bike: its features, the way it rides, the feeling the engine gives. There are so many aspects that I appreciate about this bike because of my riding style, and it was a nice relief to feel them again."
You seem to have completely changed your mindset over the winter. What brought about this change?
"Definitely the motivation, the fact that I had a bike and a team that could help me. But also the fact that I was supposed to test the Ducati at the end of the season in the Jerez test, but I was not given permission. That personally upset me, because we had worked hard to have the bikes at Jerez and they didn't allow me to ride it. I don't know if it was an ego thing, but I didn't think it was fair. Waiting until 3 p.m. and continuing to be told no hurt me, and that's what pushed me to give 110 percent to get ready for this season. In a way, I was also quite grateful that this gave me back the motivation, that fire in my stomach to be what I can be again."
Motivation was the theme of your preseason. What, on the other hand, is the buzzword this season?
"It's more about reviving Scott Redding. And get him back in the Top 5, in the podium positions, where I think I can be. I wanted to give my best 100 percent, physically and mentally, to be ready to do a good job with the bike and team. At Phillip Island we were able to show that, but having missed a few days of pre-season testing, I'm still trying to readjust to the bike and get the team to understand what I need. When we went to Portimao, most of the other teams had already been there two days and it was hard to catch up. I'm trying to get back into a rhythm to stay in front."
I think you expected more from this start of the season, since you said you had everything you needed to win.
"Yes, I expected to do what I did at Phillip Island: stay in the Top 5 and fight for the podium. That was what I had in mind. I knew it was going to be difficult at Portimao, and having missed testing it was twice as difficult. In Assen I expected to do better, because I honestly felt I could do more, but the big problem I have right now is that I'm not perfectly comfortable with the bike, whereas when I was in Ducati previously I felt it was 100 percent mine and I could do whatever I wanted. It's a bit different now that I'm back, there have been changes on the bike, like the engine and body position, that have changed my feeling a little bit - I'm not completely relaxed and I still don't fully understand how to ride it perfectly. I'm at 80% and I need to find that extra 10-20% to be where I want to be. For that I need more testing. I'm doing everything I can to spend more time on the bike and figure out what I need, I've also been training at Donington and Oulton Park, but I need some time, which we don't have."
How much time do you think you need?
"It depends. The tests at Phillip Island were positive, I increased my confidence and speed, and the race weekend also went well. I thought I found the direction, but then in Portimao I took a big step back and found myself in the same place I was in the tests a month earlier. I still can't get the most out of the package I have. It depends a little bit on me, a little bit on the bike, and it takes time to put it all together. But I can't say how much."
Do you feel this is your last chance to prove that you deserve to be in this paddock, on a competitive bike?
"I'll be honest, in a way yes. This project has taken a lot of money, a lot of time and a lot of hard work from everyone to get this team and this package with this bike. I could have signed for another manufacturer, taken the money and done what I wanted. But I didn't want to do that: I wanted to show the potential of Scott Redding. Show that I am a rider who can fight for the top five positions in a World Championship. That is still my goal, I still believe I can do it. But if I don't get these performances, then probably yes, people will say for the last time that maybe I'm not at the level of this championship. For me personally it's different, but it's not just about me, other aspects like the bike and the team are also involved. We are doing our best because we have goals and we really believe we can achieve them, but it is not easy. The championship is very close and we are all closer than ever."
If everything does not go as planned, could this be the last year in World Superbike?
"Potentially, yes. I mean, I'm not going to pay again to ride a bike. It's a one-year thing to help my career, but I can't afford to do it again - I've invested everything I have in this season. I don't have anything left and I'm okay with that, because that's the decision we made and we're going to stick with it, but I wouldn't do it again. Ever since I turned 15 and arrived in the World Championship, I always said I would never pay to race, and I did, because for me it's a job that I work for every day, risk my life for, and have to get paid for. But then I found myself in a difficult situation, which I never thought I would experience, and so this became a season to try to save my career and rebuild myself. My idea was to take this bike and fight for the top three places in the championship. It didn't go according to plan, but that's where we are. This is what I would like to do and if it is not possible, we will have to see what the other options are. This is the situation and there is nothing I can do to change it. I can only do my best together with the team. If we get the results, great. If we don't, we will still have done everything we can do."
Without Bonovo's step back at the end of last year, would you have ever considered such a thing?
"Not this year, because I was under contract with BMW. In the future maybe I would have considered it, but probably not investing this amount of money. That's the problem, because it's not right for a rider in any championship or sport. The team, however, is great. I had a great time with them last year as well, and the most important thing is to feel good, have confidence in your team and move forward."