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Redding "on the edge of his seat" in thrilling Phillip Island Race 1

Saturday, 29 February 2020 09:17 GMT

    • The British rookie led three of 22 laps Down Under as his WorldSBK debut got off to a blistering start

    The sensational climax to the Yamaha Finance Australian Round ended up with three riders within 0.041s of each other as Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team), Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) and Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) stood on the podium.

    Redding took the lead on Lap 12 for three laps as he looked to claim a debut victory in MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship but, despite a drag race to the finish line, was unable to claim victory. Redding certainly played his part in the thrilling race with overtakes for the lead and defending while he was out in front.

    Talking after the race, Redding said: “I was very happy indeed to be on the podium and on the front row today, it was a lot for me to learn today. On the podium and to be that close to the win is a great start to the season, I’m very happy for me and the team. They put a great bike together and we learned a lot in that race so we can prepare a little bit more for the season. It wasn’t like it was a lucky podium, we were really competitive.

    “We led the race for some laps, we were second, we went back to fourth or fifth and fought back. I feel really confident, I was really happy to get the first race under my belt. We got some points so I can relax a little bit now. I was a little bit tense because I didn’t know how aggressive these guys would be and they were as aggressive as they say they are. So the racing was phenomenal. It was amazing to be apart of, I was on the edge of my seat so for the spectators it must’ve been great. And being that close to the win, I want to get that win before the end of the weekend!”

    Redding’s pace had been evident throughout the weekend after he topped all three practice sessions, including in mixed conditions, while second on the grid behind Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) showed one-lap pace was there for Redding too. The British rider will be looking to continue his rapid pace as the weekend, and season, continues.

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