Scott Redding: Not where we’d like to be but…

Scott Redding says he feels he is making progress understanding the electronic package on his Aruba.it Racing Ducat Panigale V4 R as he wrapped up WorldSBK testing with his new team at Jerez.

The former MotoGP rider is preparing for his first season in WorldSBK after his title-winning campaign in the British Superbike Championship on Ducati machinery.

However, unlike in BSB which does away with electronics, Redding is in the midst of adapting to the more technical WorldSBK version of the Ducati Panigale V4 R, which is likely to represent his biggest challenge in making the switch to international competition.

Though he suffered a crash on day one, Redding bounced back to set the fifth quickest lap time with 1m 39.466secs lap, more than a second down on pace setter Jonathan Rea but only 0.2s off second position.

“Today we tried to find a bit more rear grip, something that I’ve struggled with here at Jerez since yesterday, and thanks to the work of the guys in the team in the end we found something that helped a lot. We’re still not where we’d like to be but we’re making progress.

“As well as testing the new tyres brought by Pirelli, we managed to work a bit more with the electronics, which are totally new to me in Superbike.

“In general I was quite happy by the end of the test, it’s good to have that bonding between myself and the Panigale V4 R and know which direction to work in ready for the 2020 season.”

Scott Redding refining his style on WorldSBK Ducati

While there is only so much you can ever read into testing, especially at this stage in the countdown to a new season, Redding still made quite the impression when he jumped on the Aruba.it bike for the first time at Motorland Aragon.

However, part of that rapid pace can be attributed to the Ducati’s sheer top speed advantage around a circuit that almost perfectly suits the Panigale V4 R package, meaning Jerez would probably be a more accurate indication of where he’s at overall.

His tumble aside, it was a promising couple of days for Redding as he dialled in his latest machine and the raw speed is evidently there.

While Chaz Davies’ laborious work on set up means it’s probably unfair to compare his times to Redding, the ex-MotoGP rider’s quick adaptation to this stage definitely makes him a threat to Rea et al. when the season gets underway in just three months’ time.