CONFIRMED: Scott Redding to 2020 WorldSBK grid with Ducati factory

Scott Redding will join the 2020 World Superbike Championship grid after being officially confirmed to join the factory Aruba.it Ducati team, replacing Alvaro Bautista and joining Chaz Davies. 

A much anticipated rumoured after it became clear Ducati’s star signing from MotoGP Bautista had opted against the offer of an extension, Redding – himself an experienced former premier class rider - joins the 2020 WorldSBK field on the back of a successful season thus far in the British Superbike Championship.

Redding made 90 MotoGP starts between 2014 and 2018 – collecting two podiums in that time – before making the surprise move back to the UK ranks for his first season in Superbikes.

Despite his limited experience of UK circuits and of British Superbike machinery – which unlike the WorldSBK series runs without electronics – Redding has settled into the series with aplomb, taking the Be Wiser PBM Ducati Panigale V4R to six wins already this year, including a famous triple at Donington Park.

He also has a guaranteed shot at the 2019 title via the upcoming three-round Title Showdown having booked his place at Cadwell Park last week.

Regardless of how his 2019 BSB title aspirations pan out, Redding’s 2020 plans are now sealed. He replaces Bautista, who is set to move to Honda for WorldSBK 2020 in line with HRC’s incoming factory effort.

Chaz Davies set for fifth season with Ducati 

Redding’s arrival will see the Aruba.it Ducati team run an all-British line-up for the first time with Davies staying on board for what will be his fifth season with the Italian factory.

The Welshman joined in 2014 and proved arguably the closest rival to four-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea between then and 2018, Davies notching up 30 wins and 85 podiums.

Though Davies has struggled relative to Bautista on the new Ducati Panigale V4R, his most recent win at Laguna Seca came just ahead of the summer hiatus, lifting him to seventh in the standings.

What does Ducati say about Scott Redding?

“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Scott into our team," commented team principal Stefano Cecconi. "Despite being a rookie in BSB, on his first experience with the Panigale V4 R and with numerous tracks he has never seen before, Scott has proved to be fast right out of the box and to be able to aim straight for the title. 

“For this reason, we have been following him with interest and we were impressed with his form even before having to look for a team-mate for Chaz in the coming seasons. With his determination and experience, I’m convinced he will be quick right from the start, even on a WSBK-spec bike."