The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s English expedition saw its opening moves of the weekend unfold as Race 1 of the Prosecco DOC UK Round was one to remember. After avoiding a three-way crash which started the race, Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) picked his moment and shot up the grid, making up for his sixth-row start. He soon found himself in a dogfight with Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha), holding him off until the final laps of the race, where, with worn-out tires, the veteran #65 slipped by Redding. While he would have liked to finish in the top five, the result is a clear step for the MGM BONOVO Racing team, who have struggled for consistent form since they departed from Australia.

REDDING LETTING IT FLOW: “I found good rhythm and just did my race”

Redding’s P6 finish was his strongest result since Assen, four rounds ago, and the first time inside the top 8 since then as well. The #45 did well to avoid a chaotic Turn 1 on the first lap, as rookie Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) clipped the rear of Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), which sent Lowes into Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) with many of the grid’s riders in proximity. By cutting up the inside, he made up many positions in an instant. After even more overtakes later on, he found himself battling with Rea, holding off the six-time Champion until eventually his exhausted tyres saw him run wide and was shuffled to P6 by the Ulsterman.

Explaining his comeback from P17 to P6, in which he was running as high as fourth, Redding said: “I enjoyed that, I got a little lucky off the start; I normally favour the outside, but today I went inside. I was lucky because I saw some guys come together. I didn’t see what happened, but I hope everyone is ok. When I came out of the first corner, I thought, ‘I’m in quite a good position’ and in the first few laps I started to feel like I was holding back, and I don’t normally feel like that. I got my rhythm and started picking off a few guys before I started thinking about managing the tyre, knowing it would be an issue at the end of the race. I found a good rhythm and just did my race. By the end, the tire was fully gone, so I released all the traction control and did more of a BSB style to get all the grip I could get. I think fifth was on the cards, but the rear tyre was just gone at the end.”

BACK AT THE FRONT: “I told the guys that it felt like I was riding 30% easier than how I’m riding when I’m battling for 15^th position”

After sending a powerful message with his season-opening pair of P4s and P5 at Phillip Island, Redding looked like his return to Ducati might mean a step up from his form in seasons past with BMW. Apart from a rain-affected P6 in the Tissot Superpole Race at Assen, his form then dropped slightly, hovering around P10. Now, on his choice machinery and home soil, Redding looks like he is putting pieces together to battle back inside the top five.

Speaking about how it was for him to be back at the sharp end, the #45 stated: “It felt good to be fighting at the front again. I told the guys that it felt like I was riding 30% easier than how I’m riding when I’m battling for 15^th position. The bike felt okay this morning with the SCQ tyre, but it felt unsettled all day. So, we went back to yesterday’s settings, and with the race tyre I felt like I was able to relax a bit and focus on riding the bike. Tomorrow will for sure be difficult in the Superpole Race from this position, but I’m happy to take P6 and put on a good show for the fans.”

FIGHTING WITH REA: “I know I gave my maximum and enjoyed the battles out there”

One aspect of Redding’s comeback was the battle with Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) in the closing stages, with Redding fighting valiantly to hold on to fifth despite the six-time Champion looking like he had more pace and grip. Redding was pushing hard throughout the 23-lap race, often sliding his Panigale V4R machine to keep Rea at bay, although ultimately losing out with a couple of laps to go after running wide at the Melbourne Loop.

On his fight with Rea, Redding said: “I could hear him coming every time, but I thought, ‘I need this, I need to protect as much as possible’. I was on the limit, doing the best lap time I could but trying to protect my line. The Yamaha was very strong in the entry to middle and a few times he was there, I was trying to protect, he’d go wide, and I was trying to fight for position. It was nice racing. I felt like I was in a bit of a battle. At the end, he got the better of me. It seemed like he had a bit more tyre underneath him, but I know I gave my maximum and enjoyed the battles out there.”

Rea also spoke about the fight, saying: “I could see he was really spinning his tyre a lot on the edge. I was able to be much faster in the middle of the corner but, as soon as you get into the acceleration zone, he was just able to gain track position to stop me from attacking. He made a mistake at the Melbourne Loop and I was able to stay inside and hold my line. It was nice to be in that battle, with ‘Loka’ and start to feel good on the bike again. To do it here, with my Joey Dunlop helmet as well, it’s really nice. I saw that when I was sitting on the grid before the race, I looked at my tank and saw it and it gave me a bit of inspiration.”

Can Redding keep the iron hot on Sunday at home? Tune in at 11:00 local time (UTC +1) to find out! Watch it live or on demand with the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 50% off!