Who slept the worst last night: Scott Redding

Dear friends of the Superbike World Championship,

Three days of sunshine and a great atmosphere: a grandiose Superbike party was celebrated in Misano last weekend. More than 70,000 visitors watched the demonstration of power by world champion Alvaro Bautista at the Ducati home game.

Things are going well for Bautista at the moment, who has rarely found himself in such a perfect situation in his career as he does now at Ducati. Of course, I would also prefer to report on exciting duels for victory. But on the other hand, I am extremely pleased that Bautista can once again show what a great rider he is in the autumn of his career. He was denied this opportunity in MotoGP for years, because Bautista was usually on the wrong bike at the wrong time.

Most of his colleagues are probably asking themselves a few questions at the moment. Toprak Razgatlioglu once again failed to get his teeth into the ground, despite taking a lot of risks. Jonathan Rea was nowhere near the top and missed the top 3 in all three races. Rea’s situation at Kawasaki is now a deja-vu of the Honda years for me.

But Danilo Petrucci and Michael Rinaldi also experienced a somewhat unpleasant home race in Misano. Petrucci was closer than in previous events, but made some big mistakes in the first two races. Michael Rinaldi made a mistake in the second race that a Ducati factory rider should not make (which led to the crash in turn 1).

Scott Redding falls far short of his own expectations

But the main role in today’s column goes to BMW works driver Scott Redding, who had another disappointing weekend after the zero round in Barcelona. The former vice world champion collected a meager seven points at the fifth WSBK event of the current season and is still only P15 in the drivers’ standings.

In fact, things could have been even worse for Redding, because without the failures in the second race he would probably have finished outside the points. After 21 laps, Redding was 52.2 seconds behind. He was driving three to four seconds slower per lap than the leaders. The 30-year-old from Gloucester is currently miles away from his own expectations.

Toprak Razgatlioglu instead of or with Scott Redding at BMW?

Redding’s mood was already dampened before the start on Friday. The Brit was greeted in Misano with questions about Toprak Razgatlioglu’s move to BMW. Redding said it was a mystery to him what Razgatlioglu could bring to BMW. But what influence will the Razgatlioglu deal have on Redding’s future? What will happen to Redding next year?

The fact is that Redding has an option with BMW that expires in mid-July. But according to insiders, it is not the case that Redding alone can decide whether he continues or not. It is probably a mutual option.

I can’t imagine seeing Redding riding in the BMW factory team in 2024. With his comments about the motorcycle, the former hopeful made himself unpopular with BMW managers. The situation was increasingly reminiscent of what Redding experienced at Aprilia in 2018.

Hardly any attractive alternatives in the Superbike World Championship

Redding is unhappy with the bike. At times he seems unmotivated. I have serious doubts that Redding is interested in being Razgatlioglu’s teammate. But on the other hand, there are hardly any attractive alternatives in the WSBK paddock.

Of course, Razgatlioglu leaves a gap at Yamaha. But will Yamaha really choose Redding instead of looking for a successor internally? Dominique Aegerter seems much more motivated at the moment.

I also can’t imagine how Redding’s size could possibly fit together with the existing top speed disadvantage of the Yamaha R1. Yamaha will also be able to put two and two together and come to the conclusion that Redding is not the right rider.

The alternatives in the Superbike World Championship are really limited. Redding will probably not find a motorcycle capable of winning. An interesting alternative would be to switch to the US MotoAmerica championship.

Is Scott Redding moving to MotoAmerica?

There are a few factory-supported teams in the US series for which Scott Redding could be a potential candidate. Danilo Petrucci and Loris Baz have already tried their luck in MotoAmerica, but were unable to win any titles. The level should not be underestimated.

For Redding, the move to the USA could be a kind of new start. Financially, it would certainly be an attractive alternative to the Superbike World Championship. Redding would also have the chance to fight for victories again, provided he finds a good team. Another argument is that his girlfriend Jacey Hayden is from the USA.

I am skeptical about the safety of the tracks. Of course, Redding also drove in the British Superbike Championship for a year, but he was not happy with the situation on some of the tracks. When it comes to safety, Redding is usually the first driver to speak up. You see that year after year in Most.

It would certainly be a loss for the Superbike World Championship to lose Redding after only four years. The charismatic Englishman has generated a lot of emotion and is always a good conversationalist. On the other hand, it is no fun to see Redding racing for 15th place.

Where will Redding go next year? Share your thoughts with me on Facebook at “Sebastian Fränzschky – motorsport journalist” There you will find my texts, insider information, opinions and assessments on current topics. And of course the opportunity to discuss this column!