Changing teams and colors wasn’t enough Scott Redding to be able to do magic. Even in 2024 under the banner of the Bonovo Action team, the 31-year-old is struggling to find the key to extracting the full potential of the BMW M 1000 RR. As demonstrated by the less than memorable Rounds with which the Briton’s season opened, overshadowed by the victories of his teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu. A difficult period for Scott but certainly not the hardest of his career, as he himself told us on the eve of the appointment at Misano, in a heart-to-heart chat between the present, the past and a hint of the future.
Scott, are you satisfied with how the season started or did you have other expectations?
“I’m not really satisfied, but at the same time those at the beginning of the season were the most difficult circuits for me, so I knew it would be tough. I expected to be in a slightly better position than I am at the moment, but the field is really competitive and the drivers and manufacturers are all very close at the moment.”
Razgatlioglu only needed a few races to bring BMW to success, while you always seem to be one step away from being able to make that “click” with the bike. What you’re missing?
“It’s a good question. On the one hand it’s difficult for me to see him win, because obviously I would have liked to be the first to do it. On the other hand, however, I am also happy about it, because it led me to believe more in the project. When you try for several years and don’t succeed, you start to believe that that is the limit, but the fact that someone has proven that it is possible opens your mind and gives you an extra push to try to achieve the same result. Sometimes you just need someone to push you to give you some fire back.”
Where and why is it making all this difference?
“When braking, you can see it quite clearly even on TV. It’s an ace that he has up his sleeve and that is helping him, but he is also very good in other areas and in setting up the bike. He is intelligent and is working very well with Phil (Marron, Razgatlioglu’s chief engineer ed.). I think BMW has listened to him and it’s good that he follows the direction in which he feels comfortable and in which he shows potential. You can also see from his driving style that he is hungry.”
You have an option with BMW also for 2025. Do you plan to stay?
“At the moment, my goal is to stay where I am. I’m happy here and I’ve settled in better after the change of team this year, because here the environment is more familiar and a little more relaxed.”
Is the moment you are going through now more complex or the period you lived in Aprilia?
“Aprilia almost finished me off and almost made me retire. It’s painful to accept that there are millions of people all over the world watching you and you know you can do certain things and the bike physically doesn’t allow you. I had no way out, I had to stay there and it was humiliating for me. Inside I felt like I was in a circus. I’ve learned a lot and it’s been part of my growth and my career, but I don’t think anything can come close to what it was like back then and I don’t think I’ll end up being in that headspace again.”
Taking a step even further back, in 2014 you were making your debut in MotoGP with Bautista as your teammate and now you are both in Superbike. How much have you changed in this decade?
“I have changed a lot. I’ve grown a lot. I was very wild and loud. Maybe not the perfect driver for teams and sponsors, but you learn this as you grow up. Now I’m a married man, with a child on the way and a lot has changed since then.”
What importance did your wife Jacey have in this growth journey?
“He contributed a lot. In 2019 I had probably reached the highest peak of my foolishness. I was living a crazy life, enjoying racing and partying with friends. I enjoyed life to the fullest but by doing that you don’t have longevity, because then people get bored. When she came into my life it calmed me down and I started thinking more about having a family in the future than partying with my friends. Now I’ve found a nice balance.”
Have you already started thinking about what it will be like to be a father?
“It scares me a little. I always told my wife that I wanted to make sure everything was in place before I tried to have a child, and then she got pregnant and I forgot about all that stuff, because the only important thing at that moment was thinking about the child and to do the best for him.”
Would you be happy if one day your child told you that he wants to follow in your footsteps and become a pilot?
“My son will be on a motorcycle before he can even ask me to rideand (smiles ed.). Whether it’s on the track or on dirt, we’d like to give him that opportunity.”
Do you have any regrets? Is there anything you would change if you could go back in time?
“Honestly, yes and no. I’ve always been the kind of person who thinks that if I hadn’t done a certain thing, what came next wouldn’t have happened. I don’t really have any regrets, because even what I think wasn’t good allowed me to learn something, meet someone or gain experience. If I could change something, however, I would have liked to have the adult mentality that I have now, when I was in Moto2 and MotoGP and I was between 17 and 23 years old. It would have been perfect”.
Looking at social media, it seems like people have a hard time understanding you. Many consider you arrogant and whiny because you always say what you think. How do you deal with this situation?
“It’s annoying sometimes, but there are a lot of idiots on social media who comment to get a reply, without caring about your feelings or anything else and who probably don’t even read what you write. I don’t say bullshit but I express my opinion and I’m happy if someone expresses an opinion, even if it’s different from mine, because the world needs people who are themselves and have opinions. I won’t change this situation, but after two years the minimum weight limit has finally been introduced and, as I already said, it’s not just for me but for everyone, also because I talked about it in the paddock with other riders but nobody has the balls to talk on social media, because they don’t want to make people hate them. But someone has to do it, because if no one speaks, nothing will ever change. I hope this is a step towards improving things in the future.”
Do you think being so direct has been a hindrance to your career?
“I clashed with some people, but then you shake hands and find a way to fix everything. I don’t like talking behind people’s backs, I prefer to tell things as they are and even if people don’t like it, I think they then recognize that if nothing else I was sincere. Maybe it’s not the right policy, but I’ve never had that kind of background. I was a free spirit who did what I thought was right and I have always lived by that principle.”
How do you see Marc Marquez’s move to the official Ducati team? What do you expect?
“I’m happy to see him having fun and being himself. I’ve raced against Marc for most of my life, so I know him well, I know his personality and you never saw it when he was in Honda. But now you can see it and it’s fantastic to see him fighting on this bike and to see him so happy to be there, also because I know what it means to be where you don’t want to be but where you have to be. He has shown that sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward and now there is the official bike waiting for him. What if he wins the title? I think so. I would like to see him win at least one more title, because he went through a lot of difficulties and kept trying. There are some strong riders, but he is the toughest I know, the one who if he had a wall in front of him wouldn’t even think about stopping. It’s his warrior mentality that makes him different from everyone else.”
