Scott Redding up to speed with van der Mark as he impresses BMW WorldSBK
Scott Redding impresses with his 'work ethic' as he gets to grips with the BMW M 1000 RR ahead of his switch to the German firm for the 2022 WorldSBK season
BMW Motorrad WorldSBK boss Shaun Muir says he is ‘impressed’ with Scott Redding’s work ethic as the Briton completed his first proper test aboard the BMW M 1000 RR he will campaign in the 2022 WorldSBK Championship.
The British rider, who makes the switch to the German firm after two successful seasons with Ducati that yielded 12 wins, 37 podiums, the runners-up spot in 2020 and third overall in 2021, made his BMW bow during private tests in Spain and Portugal last week.
However, the final three-day test of 2021 at Jerez was his first chance to measure himself against his rivals, including new BMW Motorrad WorldSBK team-mate Michael van der Mark.
Though times weren’t officially communicated, Redding is reported by Speedweek to have ended the test with a 1m 39.909secs lap, placing him fourth overall on the combined timesheets, two tenths behind second fastest van der Mark. He was 1.1secs slower than test pace setter Jonathan Rea.
While Redding is contractually obliged not to comment about the BMW until a clause in his erstwhile Ducati contract expires in January, Muir was pleased with what he saw.
“It has been a successful test for both sides of the pit box,” he said. “Scott had a lot of things to work through but most importantly for him was to find that comfortable feeling with the bike.
“I am really pleased about his work ethic in the pit box. He has put a lot of laps in and he acclimatised very well.
“On Michael’s side, we worked on similar development parts to what Scott has and he has been working through that very well as well. Comparing both riders’ feedback, it is very similar, and I am very pleased about that. I think it is proving that the set-up direction we are going with the BMW M 1000 RR is aligned between both riders which is very important.
“There has been a lot of overlapping, a lot of chassis changes, a lot of engine changes and everybody has been working as a group, so I applaud all the team and all the guys working very closely together.
“Overall, I think we can leave the test here at Jerez with our heads held up high, we have done a good job and we can go into the Christmas break with a lot of confidence and get ready for our next test in the new year.”
Rea set the quickest time over the three day test, which was attended by eight riders across Kawasaki (KRT), Honda (HRC) and BMW (Motorrad and Bonovo).
