Redding to Razgatlioglu: “F***ing hell, me and my life are on the outside” 

Scott Redding has called on Toprak Razgatlioglu to consider his racing tactics in future after the pair came close to blows on track during the final lap of the opening WorldSBK race at Most.

Enjoying the most competitive race of the 2022 WorldSBK season - his first racing with BMW - Redding had worked his way into second position a the race entered its closing stages but a fading tyre had dropped him into the clutches of defending champion Toprak Razgatlioglu by the final lap.

When the Turk lunged for a pass at an unconventional spot around Turn 13, a surprised Redding was forced to sit the BMW M 1000 RR up and take to the exit kerb, where the loss of momentum briefly cost him third to Jonathan Rea, though he’d re-take the position before the flag.

The incident mimicked a similarly fine-margin pass by Razgatlioglu on Redding two corners from home during last year’s Most event, with the Briton raging the Turk won the race ‘unfairly’ at the time. 

He later apologised for his outburst after revealing it had prevented him from executing his plan to propose to girlfriend Jaycee from the top step of the podium. A win in the following race at Most allowed him to propose the following day.

While more tempered in his assessment on this occasion, Redding does believe his rival would have achieved the same objective further round the lap without having to force him out wide and almost into a crash.

“I said ‘come on, where’s the limit? The wall was ten metres from there and I had this much of the green left’. If I was in the gravel at that speed, it wasn’t a good ending. This is what I’m thinking at the moment, but he isn’t. 

“I had the same with him last year when he passed me into the last two corners so late. He said ‘sorry, the rear was sliding’. I said, ‘yeah but f*****g hell, me and my life are on the outside’; it’s more conservative than your tyre. 

“We know he’s aggressive with overtaking; I don’t mind aggressive overtaking but, in some places, I wish he’d just think. Try and overtake me in the next corner like he did last year. I prefer it if you hit me, I have space, instead of somewhere where the margin for error is really small.”

Echoing a similar sentiment by Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea last year, Redding concludes he will have to give as good as he gets in future. 

“I took it on the chin because I’ll start to ride in that way; I’m riding in that way, but it’ll have to be more, until somebody says this is the line for overtaking; I don’t have anything to lose. In the end, he finished second and made it stick.”

Jonathan Rea shrugs off brush with leg dangling Razgatlioglu

Redding wasn’t the only rider to come off second best in a battle with Razgatlioglu in Most this weekend, after Rea saw his hopes of victory in the Superpole Race scuppered by a trip across the gravel trap on the final lap.

Having closed the gap to leader Razgatlioglu coming into the final lap, Rea sized up a pass at Turn 15, where he completed the majority of his overtakes over the course of the weekend.

However, his Yamaha rival was wise to it, adopting an aggressive defensive line, forcing Rea further to his inside, where he made light contact with Razgatlioglu’s dangling leg as he hit the brakes. Out of shape and off line, Rea rolled off and took to the gravel, but still held onto second place.

“I’d felt stronger in Turn 15 in the race compared to him but on the last lap, he did a completely different line than the other laps, on the defensive. 

“With his leg, I tried to miss but I released the brake but compromised my own line and fortunately, there was enough gravel to slow me down, re-join and keep my position. I enjoyed the fight and I felt good with the bike!”