“If a rider says what they think they’re criticised” – Scott Redding

A rider certainly never afraid to tell it like it is, Scott Redding says motorsport has changed over the years to the extent that riders aren’t able to say what they really feel.

The Briton has long been considered one of the more forthright riders when it comes to expressing his opinion, even though at times it has landed him into trouble.

Nonetheless, it is also Redding’s candid attitude and charisma that have won him a loyal fanbase over the years, not least in 2019 when he swept to title glory in the British Superbike Championship.

Now competing in WorldSBK with Ducati, Redding admits it’s a shame riders are forced to hold back through fear of being criticised.

“In the past I have been able to read some words of Carl [Fogarty] and I must say that he is right when he considered the races a boxing match. In some ways I think the same thing too. In my opinion nowadays, if a rider says what he really thinks then he is criticised. Before everyone said what they believed without constraints.”

Reflecting on the rivalries he has established over the years, though Redding says he wouldn’t call certain riders friends – highlighting his Paul Bird Motorsport team-mate and BSB title rival Josh Brookes as an example – he says he would never deny them a handshake at the end of a race.

“In the paddock you always try to be friends with everyone and respect is something that must never be lacking among people. On track, however, people turn into enemies and I think it’s normal. But once the race was over I never denied any of them the handshake.

“I think of someone like Josh Brookes, we probably won’t be great friends and we don’t like each other, but when he won I always congratulated him. And I think this is an important value in the racing world.”