Scott Redding ‘locked in’ to problem, predicts ‘rocky’ BMW WorldSBK initiation

Scott Redding says he remains focused on finding a workable solution to boost his competitiveness on the BMW M 1000 RR at Assen following a dismal start to life with the German manufacturer at Aragon’s WorldSBK opener.

The Briton was one of the higher profile movers over the winter after switching from the factory Ducati team with whom he’d racked up 13 victories over two seasons.

However, as his successor Alvaro Bautista powered to two wins and the early championship lead in Spain, Redding muddled outside of the points for much of the weekend, peaking with a run to 15th in Race 1.

Complaining of a lack of feel and temperamental electronics on his BMW, Redding says he knows what the issue is but warns he is ‘locked in’ and limited as to what he can do about it.

"We kind of know the issue but we’re kind of locked with what we can do in this situation at the moment," claimed the former MotoGP and BSB rider. 

"For me, it’s more working on the electronics side of things, trying to help our problem. I think the track layout is what’s probably going to help us the most. 

"Let’s see what we can do and see if this weekend brings us a step and see in the future. It’s not going to be a nice, clean improvement; it’s going to be rocky on the way. As long as we’re going forward, I’m happy with that." 

“I always said we were too far away; I didn’t want to blow smoke up my ass about it. We were just too far away, so coming into a race weekend, it isn’t going to be any better. 

"I think we’ve just got to keep working in the line that we’re following and see if we can build up."

On the other side of the BMW garage, Michael van der Mark will make his season debut on home soil after recovering from a leg injury sustained during the off-season.

"I’m really happy to be back in the paddock! It was already a very long winter, but unfortunately due to the injury, I made the winter even longer.

“Things are going well and I’m getting better every day. I’m really happy to be here at Assen. It would’ve been really disappointing to miss my home round. 

"On the other hand, it’s my first time on the bike this year. It’s a nice place to be on the bike for sure. 

"We have a good bike, but it’s not a winning bike. The only advice is to stay calm. We know what we have to develop. 

"It’s tough, especially with such a close championship. A couple of tenths and we’ll gain a lot of places but it’s not easy to find these couple of tenths."