Doubts from cynics made Scott Redding want 2019 BSB title win more

Scott Redding has given some insight into how he motivates himself in the fight for the 2019 British Superbike Championship Title Showdown, saying lingering doubts about his skills push him on.

After more than a decade competing in the grand prix paddock, Redding swapped the electronics-laden MotoGP premier class for a surprise switch to BSB in 2019 with Paul Bird Motorsport’s Be Wiser Ducati team.

Despite his respectable credentials at the highest levels of the sport, Redding nonetheless began the 2019 season with no experience of a Superbike or electronics-free machinery, while his rise through the international ranks meant he was also learning many of his home circuits for the first time.

Nonetheless, Redding has defied the doubters, saying he harnessed the cynicism from those who believed BSB’s intricacies and competitiveness would expose him – particularly next to team-mate Josh Brookes – to be hard to fault.

“This year has been really good; I have enjoyed the championship and the racing has been great and now we have just got Brands Hatch to try and finish the job,” he said. “I feel like I have been the strongest rider in the Showdown so far but I have been building all season for this.

“The results at Brands Hatch earlier in the year doesn’t show how strong we really were there and the pace that we had; I took a gamble on the tyre choice in race one and then had a podium in race two and we had pole position. I think some people think that it might not be the best track for me and I might not be as strong there, but when people doubt me I want it even more.”

Error-free Scott Redding closes on 2019 BSB title

While Redding’s sheer pace out of the box and ability to get up to speed on the Ducati Panigale V4 R have written plenty of headlines this year, arguably it’s been his savvy tactics in an error-free season that deserve the most credit.

To date, Redding has only failed to score four times in 2019; twice when he was taken out by another rider (each time Andrew Irwin), one-time post-race penalty when he finished second on the road and an erroneous tyre gamble in the wet. We haven’t seen him crash the Ducati alone in any race this year.

With four wins from four races in the 2019 BSB Title Showdown so far, Redding holds a 28-point lead over Josh Brookes in the overall standings with three races – offering a maximum of 75 points - at Brands Hatch to go.

“I am really calm now and with how I am and what we can do at Brands Hatch. I get even more motivation from the energy and the big support that I get from the fans and I think there is going to be a big atmosphere next weekend.”

This weekend’s also marks Redding’s BSB swansong for now as he gears up to join Ducati in the 2020 WorldSBK Championship.