        One of the most interesting aspects of this weekend&rsquo;s BSB round at Thruxton is definitely the presence of Tito Rabat, who is making his debut in the national series aboard the TAG Racing team&rsquo;s Honda CBR1000RR-R. The 2014 Moto2 world champion takes the place of Luke Mossey, who has in turn moved to BMW in PR Racing colours. A different kind of weekend for Scott Redding  The very fast track, constructed on what was a Royal Air Force airfield, will host a number of special guests this weekend, not least Scott Redding, on hand to support Rabat and friend Tom Sykes. The factory BMW rider, who was British champion in 2019, scored a podium on his first appearance at this circuit and can definitely provide the two biggest names on the grid with some useful advice. This is Tito&rsquo;s very first BSB round and he will need to build the right confidence with the specific British Superbike technical regulation. Sykes, on the other hand, returns to a track he&rsquo;s not raced at for more than ten years. The Englishman can also count on the same bike that Redding used, considering that he&rsquo;s competing for the Paul Bird Motorsport team on the Ducati Panigale V4 R. The race schedule  Despite Redding&rsquo;s support, Rabat and Sykes will have their work cut out as they take on some very stiff competition, starting with Tarran Mackenzie who, having returned to winning ways at Brands Hatch, seems ready to defend his 2021 title. And then there&rsquo;s O'Halloran as well as &ldquo;usual suspects&rdquo; Haslam, Ray and Brookes, with Skinner ready to shine after recently making a positive debut in Moto2. As usual, three races will run over the course of the weekend, the first, the Sprint Race, kicking off on Saturday at 15:40 local time, before Race 2 and Race 3 get underway on Sunday at 13:30 and 16:30 respectively. Translated by Heather Watson EWC: Gino Rea&rsquo;s condition improves following his accident at Suzuka       

The 2019 national champion and current BMW rider in the world championship is in the BSB paddock to support his friends and former rivals

BSB: Scott Redding special “coach” to Rabat and Sykes at Thruxton

We&rsquo;re only a few days into the new year but (luckily) it&rsquo;s already time to talk about the first tests. Kicking off the 2022 season on the Superbike side is a two-day test at Jerez, organised by the KRT team on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 January, during which we&rsquo;ll be able to see some initial battles against the clock.  Considering the team that is promoting the test, Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes will of course be in action, keen to learn more about the level of the ZX-10R after the December tests in Andalusia. The pair won&rsquo;t be the only Kawasaki riders though, as Puccetti man Lucas Mahias will also be out on track.  Redding in the spotlight, Honda to work on two fronts   The Jerez tests will also be a good opportunity to see the new BMW pairing, with Scott Redding keen to clock up some miles, and perhaps even steal a few secrets from team-mate Michael Van Der Mark, who was able to put the German manufacturer back on top last season, handing it its first win in a long time.  There is also a lot of interest in Honda, which will be working on both its Superbike and MotoGP projects at Jerez. The factory SBK team will be in action with Xavi Vierge and a returning Iker Lecuona (after he fractured his little finger in December), but Stefan Bradl will also be hard at work as he continues to develop the RCV213V with a view to 2022.  And then, just a dash of Supersport, thanks to the presence of the Motozoo team (with Jeffrey Buis and Ben Currie) and new team Prodina, which will entrust its Kawasaki to Tom Booth-Amos.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, no Desmo for Pecco, Bagnaia prefers... Turbo! 

Kawasaki, BMW and Honda will be on track on 27-28 January. The latter will be able to count on both Lecuona and Bradl, who will continue to develop the RCV2013V for MotoGP

WorldSBK: a first taster of the 2022 season at Jerez

With the first of three back-to-back events already in the bag, the SBK stars now prepare for Jerez, a track that the production-derived bikes often visit for pre-season development testing. In 2020, the first round back after lockdown was held here, and it proved to be a good one.  It was August and sweltering hot. Not that next weekend will be cold, but it won&rsquo;t be like last summer. We hope. In any case, it is Scott Redding who&rsquo;s the favourite. Why? It&rsquo;s clear from his mental state, his speed, and the fact he&rsquo;ll be looking to repeat last year&rsquo;s performance.  It was a double win for #45 as he slid into the corners. The V4 R was strong and he exploited this fact, the British Bulldog even finishing second to Rea in the sprint race, the only race he didn&rsquo;t win. Spurred on by a recent win and podium at Barcelona, he is the man to beat this weekend.  Look out for Rino, strong at Montmel&oacute; and headed into Jerez   Separated by just one point right now, Toprak are Johnny are well aware that, as well as looking out for Redding on the red bike, they also need to keep an eye on the other Ducati, that of Michael Ruben Rinaldi.  Appearing energised at Barcelona, &ldquo;Rino&rdquo; did the best over the three days, scoring a win and a third place in the races. Similar to his team-mate, although the latter is currently more convincing. And this is why the Italo-Venezuelan is another good bet this weekend.  And then comes the rest of the field, all keen to score strong results. Andrea Locatelli, confirmed by Yamaha. Alex Lowes, ready to defend his team-mate, the Cannibal, Montmel&oacute; wrist injury permitting. Axel Bassani, the revelation of 2021. Garrett Gerloff, called upon to perk up the season. Alvaro Bautista, a Jerez expert.  Translated by Heather Watson  WorldSSP: Bulega and Ducati Aruba ready to debut in the category in 2022 

Toprak and Johnny might be fighting for the title but it&rsquo;s Scott on the Ducati who&rsquo;s the one to watch out for over the Andalusian weekend.

WorldSBK, Razgatlioglu and Rea? The favourite at Jerez is Redding

        The Aruba Racing Ducati team is in good shape as it prepares for the SBK triple-header. Michael Ruben Rinaldi has been confirmed by the factory team, while Scott Redding will be leaving the ranks but wants to give it his all until the end, which means that the Brit still believes he&rsquo;s in with a shot at the title. And he&rsquo;s right, because Razgatlioglu and Rea might have a decent lead but they can still be caught. However, number 45 admits that he first has to get over the Montmel&oacute; &lsquo;hurdle&rsquo;: "If I have to be honest, Barcelona is not at the top of the list of my favorite circuits&rdquo;. He also thinks one factor will be key: &ldquo;I think the weather conditions could be a factor, especially if the temperature is extremely high, as we will have to deal with some long corners where we could struggle a bit. The goal, however, is to finish on the podium in any race. It won't be easy but I'll give it my best shot". Rino is strong at the Catalunya Circuit  While Scott doesn&rsquo;t particularly enjoy Montmel&oacute;, Michael Ruben quite likes it: "I can't wait to get on the bike on Friday morning on a track where I have been at ease in the past. I'm very determined: there's&nbsp;a strong will to be competitive again and&nbsp;to find&nbsp;the best feeling. I will do my best to fight for the podium in every race and to give satisfaction to the team". Translated by Heather Watson WorldSBK, Razgatlioglu: &ldquo;Barcelona tough in 2020, but now I'm strong everywhere&rdquo;       

Scott ahead of Montmel&oacute;: "Temperatures might be high, so we&rsquo;ll suffer through the long turns. But I want to give it my all&rdquo;. Rinaldi: "I&rsquo;ve always been at ease at the track"

WorldSBK, Redding: “Barcelona’s not one of my favourites, but I want the podium”

The cover image shows the strongest trio of SBK riders right now. Though Scott Redding appears a little &lsquo;blurred&rsquo;, the photo speaks volumes, the number 45 Ducati chasing the Yamaha and Kawasaki piloted by Toprak Razgatlioglu and Johnny Rea, who are on level pegging in the standings if not in this particular shot.  The Turk and the Northern Irishman hold 311 points apiece, while the Englishman has 273. The gap may still seem significant but let&rsquo;s not forget that the bulldog has been gradually gaining ground &ndash; and points &ndash; in recent races.  So much so that he appears to be the rider in the best shape right now. Although he has confirmed that he will race with BMW next season, Reddingpower has promised commitment and fight as he defends the Aruba colours. We believe him and the results speak for themselves.  Magic rain for Scott at Magny-Cours   The 2020 French event saw Rea do the double in the wet, or rather damp conditions, before Redding triumphed in the final race. Scott stood out in the pouring rain, riding a V4 R that was all new to him, particularly in those tricky conditions.  With skill, courage and sensitivity, the then BSB champion made an impression, fully deserving of the applause and compliments he received. And he proved just how capable he was of adapting to the bike, the weather and the track. And so it is that the future BMW rider is the favourite ahead of the 2021 Magny-Cours round.  First he&rsquo;ll have to deal with Toprak though &ndash; double race winner in 2019 &ndash; and with Johnny and the Ninja of course. The battle between the &quot;three Rs&quot; will continue then, but we should also look out for Michael Ruben Rinaldi, recently reconfirmed and good for (at least) a podium, if not more.  Davies seeks a comeback at what has been a friendly track  Chaz went well with the V4 R at Magny. He scored third in race 2 in 2020, and further podiums in the past, although the 2016 double win aboard the Panigale twin remains his best ever French result.  We hope he can continue to do well this time, flying the flag for the Go Eleven team which has seen too much of the gravel traps recently. Davies can do it, as he&rsquo;s already proved this year. The battle between the independent riders is a hard-fought one, and the others will give as good as they get.  Riders like Garrett Gerloff and Axel Bassani for example. The American wants to boost both his morale and his points tally, while the Italian will be taking on the French track with a Superbike for the first time. And while it&rsquo;s Gerloff who leads the way in the &lsquo;unofficial&rsquo; standings, the Italian it still in the running for first place.  Translated by Heather Watson  WorldSBK, official: Rinaldi and Aruba Ducati together again in 2022 

Toprak and Johnny lead the way with the Yamaha and the Kawasaki, but the Brit and his Ducati could gain further ground at the French track, especially if it rains

WorldSBK, Razgatlioglu and Rea look out for Redding: Scott likes Magny-Cours

Navarra, what can we expect? The Spanish track is the fifty-first circuit to host a WorldSBK round and is located in the north of the country. Specifically, the track is located in Los Arcos, a rural town not far from Bilbao, but closer to Pamplona.  Almost all the riders have tested the track in recent months, but just like the recent Most round, the seventh 2021 round will be interesting in terms of the excitement a new track offers.  Most again offered up a three-way battle between Rea, Razgatlioglu and Redding. Johnny leads the way with 266 points, Toprak is three behind, while Scott holds 216. Although the Northern Irish rider leads the way, the Englishman is currently on a roll, more so than the Turk.  Love encourages Redding, the strongest ducatista in 2021   You know the phrase &quot;And they lived happily ever after&quot;? And so it is that we wish Redding and his future bride all the very best, Scott and Jacey Hayden now ready to start a life together. Congrats! But in the meantime, there&rsquo;s an SBK title to win and number 45 knows it.  He&rsquo;s doing his best, spurred on by the fact he&rsquo;s the strongest ducatista on track right now. The bulldog hasn&rsquo;t yet renewed his contract for 2022, because it also depends on the (possible) arrival of Alvaro Bautista or Danilo Petrucci. Ducati needs to consider its next moves carefully.  Scott, third in the standings and 50 points from Rea, is well aware of this and is in shape. And he&rsquo;s winning. To date, Redding has scored three partial wins. No one has managed it with the current V4 R, a competitive but rather unique bike.  Razg-attack puts Yamaha in the title mix   Did you see the kind of move Toprak made on Redding? Well that perfectly sums up the Turk&rsquo;s repertoire &ndash; speed, acrobatics, daring and determination. With these traits, Kenan Sofuoglu&rsquo;s pupil has already been able to project Yamaha into first place overall.  The R1 M appears to be the most complete Superbike on the grid - Ducati is strong in acceleration, the Kawasaki is precise, but the blue four-cylinder is the real all-rounder. And we apologise for not citing Honda and BMW but&hellip; you know how it is, the CBR and the M1000 RR appearing fairly inconsistent.  The Pata with Brixx team on the other hand seems very solid, Toprak and rookie Andrea Locatelli both very strong. The Iwata contingent has also tested at Navarra, so it will be an equal playing field come the race weekend.  Rea and Kawasaki, a winning pair on the defensive   Six titles, no small feat. Johnny and the Ninja make for a winning team, confirmed by both the stats and their rivals. Although there may be a few doubts, in this precise moment, about the real capabilities of the ZX-10RR, the impression being that the Akashi team&rsquo;s performance has plateaued somewhat since the start of the year.  We&rsquo;ll see whether this is the case at Navarra. The Cannibal didn&rsquo;t excel at Most, and so he will want to make up for what he lost in the Czech Republic. Two consecutive crashes leave a mark, luckily not a physical one in his case, but perhaps an emotional one.  Also consider the fact that while Redding often has other Ducatis with him up front, and Razgatlioglu can count on Locatelli (though less so on Gerloff), the number 1 rider is &ndash; on the contrary &ndash; the only man in green to stand out. How long can he hold on?  Translated by Heather Watson  WorldSBK, Razgatlioglu: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;ll go to MotoGP&rdquo; 

Johnny is hunted by Toprak, and Scott is closing in: the fifty-first track to host a WorldSBK round will stage another battle between the three &#39;R&#39;s

WorldSBK: Navarra ready for a Rea - Razgatlioglu - Redding battle

        WorldSBK has completed its free practice day at Most, which becomes the fiftieth track to host a production-derived world championship round. While everything ran smoothly during the morning, there was controversy come the afternoon. &ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t a national series and we require high safety standards. There&rsquo;s not even any air fencing in some of the most dangerous areas and that&rsquo;s unacceptable&rdquo;, commented Scott Redding at the end of the day, voicing his concerns. Riders, although not all of them, have highlighted the things they&rsquo;re not happy with &ndash; walls considered too close to the asphalt, even in the dry, and run-off areas that offer little room. In the rain, it&rsquo;s even worse, for obvious reasons. Hence the group photo above. Rea, Rabat, Davies, Redding and Rinaldi held a brief meeting, after which none of them took part in FP2, which was wet following rainfall. The subject first arose before the riders even arrived in the paddock, and this evening there will be another meeting between them and the organisers. Translated by Heather Watson WorldSBK Most: Delbianco to stand in for Mercado        

The track is deemed beautiful but unsuitable for a world championship, its run-off areas narrow and its walls too close to the track. In case of rain, the situation is considered unacceptable

Czech WorldSBK, the riders against Most: minimum safety

At the end of the first day of Superbike practice at the Most circuit in the Czech Republic, Scott Redding doesn&rsquo;t hide his concern about the safety issues. Despite his competitiveness in FP1, the factory Ducati rider admits that the Czech track scares him.  &ldquo;If barely any of the riders, including factory teams, chose not to go out in the wet, there must be a reason&rdquo;, commented Scott. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s because this track is really dangerous and even scary at certain points. It&rsquo;s insane to race at a track where one crash could end your career&rdquo;.  &ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t a national series and we require high safety levels. There&rsquo;s not even any air fencing in some of the most dangerous areas and that&rsquo;s unacceptable. It&rsquo;s a pity because it&rsquo;s a fun track, but a world championship shouldn&rsquo;t be racing here. I&rsquo;m really asking myself why I&rsquo;m here risking my life&rdquo;, continues #45.  Czech WorldSBK, the riders against Most: minimum safety  &ldquo;A mistake could cost us dearly&rdquo;   &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s take the contact between Gerloff and Razgatlioglu at Assen for example. If something like that happens here at turn 1 or turn 12, where there&rsquo;s barely any run-off, who knows what might happen. Here a contact or a crash could cost us dearly, but I&rsquo;m not part of the safety commission, so all I can do is say that I think&rdquo;, adds the Brit.  &ldquo;And I don&rsquo;t like the comparison with BSB, because that&rsquo;s a national series and the safety standards there are higher than people think in any case. Here there&rsquo;s not even a service road in sector 3, which could cause a lot of red flags in case of a crash in the race. Are you going to get the red flag out for every crash? That would be crazy, but the alternative would be to throw the bike into the forest&rdquo;, concludes Redding. &ldquo;Racing is important to me, but it&rsquo;s not everything and I hope to go home in one piece&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  WorldSBK Most: Delbianco to stand in for Mercado 

The English Ducati rider doesn&rsquo;t hide his concern about the lack of safety at the Czech track: &quot;A crash could cost us dearly, I&rsquo;m wondering why I&rsquo;m here risking my life&rdquo;

WorldSBK, Redding alarmed: &ldquo;Most is scary, it&rsquo;s crazy to race here&rdquo;

We&rsquo;re only four rounds into the 2021 Superbike championship but we already have some clues as to how the season might continue. And if we ignore the standouts, which included title contender Toprak Razgatlioglu of course, those who are struggling right now clearly include Scott Redding, who faces what is the toughest moment of his Superbike career to date.  And the numbers speak for themselves. After the first four rounds of 2020, Redding&rsquo;s debut SBK season, Scott already had 179 points in the bag, the result of three wins and a total of nine podiums, which would still place him third in the championship right now, but just four points from the leader. Instead, during this 2021 season, he currently has 66 points to make up, having scored 62 less than this time last season thanks to two wins and just three podiums.  Wrong decisions and pressure   The hard facts come with their reasons of course. Scott started the season with the aim of stopping Jonathan Rea in what should have been the year of his consecration, following a rookie 2020 season in which he got to grips with the category. But these expectations have perhaps worked against the number 45 rider, who has already committed more mistakes than he did last year.  In addition to understandable mistakes on track (see Rea), like the Race 2 crash at Estoril while chasing the champion, or the Race 1 crash at a damp Donington, there have also been some errors in strategy, Scott&rsquo;s race twice having come to an end before it even began. We&rsquo;re talking about the Aragon and Donington Superpole Races, where an incorrect tyre choice saw him score just two points out of a possible 24.  Added to all this is a speed that doesn&rsquo;t seem to have podium potential, at least during the last two rounds. At Misano, Scott was left watching as Razgatlioglu, Rea and particularly Rinaldi broke away, while a fourth place finish in race 2 at his home track was not enough to turn a disappointing weekend around.  If we consider the causes, pressure may well be one, but there are at least two more. The first is technical, and has to do with the difficulties Scott is experiencing aboard the bike. The Englishman complains that his machine is worse than the 2020 version, or at least less easy and less inclined to forgive any mistakes, in contract to the improvement seen with his rivals&#39; bikes. The second factor has to do with morale, and can only have to do with Rinaldi. The Italian&rsquo;s presence and recent wins in Italy have taken some of the attention away from Redding, his role as captain perhaps in the balance.  And now?   At this point, just four rounds into a thirteen-round championship, the rider still has time to turn things around but there is a risk he is missing something else entirely. In recent races, Scott has looked to be slightly out of focus, perhaps due to the aforementioned pressure, with the subsequent errors that, for now, rule him out of the title fight almost entirely.  Needless to say that he needs to step it up a gear, mentally and also in terms of his results. This two-week break could help him to reset the mind and focus all his energies on his right wrist, with the aim of remaining a serious title contender. And then he needs to look to the future, but that&rsquo;s another story.  Translated by Heather Watson  Razgatlioglu throws down the gauntlet at Donington, is he the anti-Rea? 

Last weekend saw Scott score only a fourth-place finish, his podium drought continuing. Mistakes, both strategic and on track, are hurting him, but there&rsquo;s still time to turn things around

WorldSBK, air of crisis in Redding&rsquo;s garage: is a reset required?

        Perhaps we were too hasty in reference to Scott Redding and this weekend&rsquo;s Donington SBK round. We wrote that this could be the Brit&rsquo;s last real chance to remain in the mix for the title. Or perhaps not, in that he himself realises just how important it is to recover points in the UK. And there are two factors that could work in the Aruba Ducati rider&rsquo;s favour, namely his win in the 125 GP in 2008 - at just 15 years of age - and his double win in BSB in 2019, which paved the way to the title come the end of the year. And so it is that, boosted by these memories, number 45 prepares for the event: "We're going back to racing in England after a year's absence and for me, it's a very pleasant feeling, also because of the great memories I have of the 2019 season in which I won the BSB title. We come from a not easy weekend like the one in Misano and in Donington my goal is to come back to win. It will be my home GP and I'm very happy that I will find so many fans to support me." Rino and Scott, reversed situations  While Redding wobbled, Michael Ruben Rinaldi literally flew at the Marco Simoncelli track, scoring a double win plus another podium and taking a big step up in terms of quality. The number 21 rider now finds himself in the opposite situation, rather like Scott at Misano. A guest who wants to upset the home rider&rsquo;s plans, there is one factor that shouldn&rsquo;t be underestimated: "Donington is a circuit where I have not been particularly comfortable in the past. But now the situation is very different&rdquo;. So what will Rino do to be effective in the UK: "We will work hard both on Thursday and in Friday&rsquo;s free practice to get to Race-1 in the best conditions. Certainly, we will need to find the speed to be competitive. Of course, it's not like racing in Misano but I'm confident that we can have a positive weekend". Translated by Heather Watson WorldSBK, Donington "last chance&rdquo; for Scott Redding?       

Scott has good memories of the English track: "It&rsquo;s my home round and I&rsquo;ll have fans supporting me". Michael Ruben Rinaldi: "It wont be like Misano, I&rsquo;ve not gone well in the past, but we hope for a positive weekend"

WorldSBK, Redding: “I’m out to win at Donington”

        The Donington Park circuit will host the fourth SBK round, at a track at which the production-derived bikes, 500/MotoGP prototypes and Formula 1 cars have all written history. Might the 2021 chapter &ndash; in which Johnny Rea is again leading the way - take a turn in the UK? The British round can essentially be classed as the Northern Irishman&rsquo;s home event, the East Midlands circuit having proved happy hunting ground for him in 2019, when the number 1 rider scored a triple victory. Rea is the undisputed favourite then, Toprak Razgatlioglu his main rival. But two years ago there was no Redding, who was competing in BSB at the time. Expectations are high as far as Scott is concerned, for various reasons. The Aruba Ducati rider need to boost both his morale and his points tally, following a rather lacklustre outing at Misano Adriatico. While team-mate Michael Ruben Rinaldi won and reached the podium, the Englishman came under attack from his rivals. So while Rinaldi now faces a sort of acid test, Scott is essentially sitting his retakes. Scott&rsquo;s last shot at the title? We&rsquo;re not exaggerating. But...  Psychology is (almost) everything for a rider. With a quiet and determined mindset, a rider is keen to push even further. With this in mind, and considering the need to make up points with respect to his two main rivals - Rea on the Ninja, Razgatlioglu on the R1 - Redding must focus on the goal, which consists of winning at least (yes, at least) one of the three races. Preferably one worth 25 points. A Superpole Race win wouldn&rsquo;t be bad but it doesn&rsquo;t have the same significance, either symbolically or points-wise. And then he needs to see what his rivals will do. While Rino showed his stuff at Misano, the 2019 BSB champion now needs to do the same at Donington. Will number 45&rsquo;s season be decided in Derby? We don&rsquo;t want to exaggerate, but this is our impression. It&rsquo;s an important one no doubt, as the 28-year old fights for his present and his future with Ducati, well aware that talented youngsters are always keen to swoop in. Lowes, Davies and (why not) Sykes: the fans expect encouraging signs  Alex Lowes started 2021 with three podiums. Fantastic. But then the results dwindled, for one reason or another. And so Donington offers Lowes an opportunity to bounce back. After all, the track holds no secrets for him, the 2013 winner with Honda. We're sorry to say that Chaz Davies has disappointed so far. And we say this well aware of the Welshman&rsquo;s strength, speed and experience. If we factor in the solidity of team Go Eleven, it&rsquo;s fair to say that the team has scored too few points over the first three rounds. Donington is a first opportunity to buck this trend. And let&rsquo;s not forget Tom Sykes, the winner of many UK races. The 35-year old lives close to the track, one at which he scored his first win as a wildcard back in 2008, aboard a Suzuki. He went on to score four double wins with Kawasaki, while he&rsquo;s still missing that extra something with the BMW. Will he find it this weekend perhaps? Translated by Heather Watson WorldSBK, Rea: &ldquo;The Donington track is good for the Kawasaki&rdquo;       

At his home track, the Englishman "must" win at least one race in order to close the gap to Rea and Razgatlioglu. Acid test for Rinaldi, the results of Lowes, Davies and Sykes up for scrutiny &nbsp;

WorldSBK, Donington "last chance” for Scott Redding?

For Scott Redding, Misano is nothing new. Or rather, the Englishman has already raced in Emilia Romagna, but never with a Superbike. In fact, the factory Ducati Aruba rider has ridden the 125 Grand Prix, the Moto2 with Honda engine, and two different MotoGP bikes around the Italian circuit.  And he has scored strong results in the top class. In 2015, the then Marc VDS rider achieved a third-place finish behind Marc Marquez and Bradley Smith.  The Belgian team&rsquo;s four-cylinder satellite machine missed out on the top step that day, and Scott still remembers it well:&nbsp;&ldquo;I wanted to win of course, but I couldn&rsquo;t do it. Do you know why? A bad rear tyre choice. The weather kept changing which put us in difficulty. I didn&rsquo;t want to trust in the intermediate, which turned out to be effective&quot;.  Brands Hatch like Misano? In some ways, yes   Redding continues to recount what went on that weekend in the world championship: &ldquo;I had really strong pace, good enough for a win I reckon. So it was a pity about that poor choice. I found myself in a similar situation at Brands Hatch during the 2019 BSB championship&quot;.  A national championship that number 45 won: &quot;The straight is anything but straight there. And it&rsquo;s not flat either. It was raining, not a lot but enough to cause trickles of water to run from left to right, from the central grandstand to the pitwall. I panicked, choosing the right tyre was a gamble&rdquo;.  In the end, the Ducati rider went with the &quot;safe bet&quot;. More or less: &quot;No intermediate, but a good rain tyre. It was just a pity it stopped raining, and that was it. I just did what I could. That day in England and the Misano MotoGP podium are two similar memories for me&quot;.  At the Marco Simoncelli, Scott plays on home turf   With Imola not on the calendar, the Misano event is the only Ducati home round. The red bikes are heading there to win, and rightly so. And Scott rides for an Italian team, with an Italian bike, with many fans awaiting him...  ...yes, we can say that Redding is heading into a round where he can feel at home, at least in terms of the setting. The fans (also) await the British bulldog, who is keen to bite Johnny Rea. The Italian sun will shine on the inevitable duel, in which Scott will do all he can to make up for that Sunday in 2015.  And if it rains, who knows. We hope for Scott that he&rsquo;s able to decide on which Pirellis to mount. The &ldquo;dry bet&rdquo; at Aragon definitely paid off, although those on intermediates were also strong. The memory of the 2015 MotoGP and that third place finish is great, but a win would taste even better.  Translated by Heather Watson  SBK Misano: Rea and the Italians ready to shine in front of the fans 

In Romagna, Scott scored a third with the Honda MotoGP: &quot;But I&rsquo;d have liked to be on the top step of the podium&rdquo;. The Brit now makes his Misano SBK debut, at Ducati&rsquo;s home round: is this his chance?

Redding and Misano redemption: a missed opportunity in 2015 still hurts

Kawasaki and Johnny Rea are ready for the Portuguese SBK round, it&rsquo;s true, but so is Aruba Ducati. Particularly Scott Redding. The number 45 rider was the Northern Irishman&rsquo;s only real rival at Arag&oacute;n. The Motorland race 2 winner is feeling confident and can&rsquo;t wait to get out on track.  Also because he wants to make up for the difficult moments of 2020. As he himself says: &quot;I liked the Estoril Circuit a lot last season even though the results don&#39;t seem to confirm this feeling. The crash in Superpole and a technical issue in Race 1, however, were two determining factors. During the Superpole Race and Race 2 the feeling was really very positive. The race pace has always been very good and I hope that already from Friday we can make progress&quot;.  Michael Ruben Rinaldi struggled in Spain, but could do well this weekend, at the track where he made his Aruba Factory debut last autumn: &quot;We&#39;ve had an uphill start to the championship. We can use this very close round to turn the page immediately, and I will work hard with my team to make it happen. I am very motivated and I want to make up for the negative results obtained in Aragon. We will start from scratch, giving it our all right from Friday&#39;s free practice&quot;.  Translated by Heather Watson  WorldSBK, Most prepares to welcome the public 

Scott: &quot;Last year I crashed in Superpole and had a technical problem in race 1, but the sensations were positive&rdquo;. Rinaldi: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll use this round to turn the page&quot;

WorldSBK, Redding: &ldquo;Estoril? The 2020 results don&rsquo;t confirm the feeling&rdquo;

        As we can see in the photo, Scott Redding brakes hard. His boot touching the ground, the nose of his V4 R almost touching the mudguard, for a Ducati front section that couldn&rsquo;t be more compressed. Even the Pirelli front tyre is compressed, such is the force and weight impressed on the braking system and &Ouml;hlins fork. And now the Swedish firm&rsquo;s suspension system offers the factory Ducati team another new feature. A foot, or rather the lower &lsquo;swallow tail&rsquo; section, which makes for a sort of upside down, split V. And what is this for? Well, the modification has been made so that the team can use a special new (and expensive) front stand when carrying out a rapid tyre change. The rapid tyre change becomes key during the Flag to Flag procedure, which differs between SBK and MotoGP. In the reigning class, if the weather changes, every rider can come into the garage and go back out on a second bike. In the production-derived series, where they have a "rolling chassis", riders get their mechanics to change the tyres to suit the conditions. WorldSBK different from Endurance  While in endurance racing it&rsquo;s best to change over as soon as possible, this is not the case in SBK. In the sense that teams and riders must respect a minimum time calculated and set by Race Direction. This variable depends on the length of the pitlane at any given circuit. There is also a fixed quota, the total representing the minimum quota below which riders cannot drop without receiving a penalty or sanction. While in EWC every rider does as they like. Or rather, the quicker you change the wheels and refuel, the sooner you can reach the finish line. Despite the fact that races can last as long as 24 hours. Translated by Heather Watson Whatever happened to: Troy Bayliss       

At Arag&oacute;n, Scott Redding&rsquo;s Panigale V4 R mounts a fork with special two-pointed foot, designed for a special stand to be used during a rapid tyre change &nbsp;

WorldSBK Test: the Aruba Ducati team also considers the Flag to Flag

Although the season may have already began a few weeks ago for the Ducati Aruba team, we all know the year only really gets going after the traditional presentation, which, for the Borgo Panigale squad, took place today. The unveiling took place virtually due to the ongoing pandemic.  First to take to the stage was Stefano Cecconi, Team Principal. &ldquo;Since 2015, we have officially represented Ducati in the Superbike World Championship, and our results have grown steadily to the second and third place obtained last season. Our goal is to take that final step forward to reach the target we have set ourselves&rdquo;.  Cecconi also welcomes back Michael Rinaldi, the main new addition to this year&rsquo;s Ducati team. &ldquo;Rinaldi has had a long journey, including winning the Superstock 1000 title. It is a great satisfaction for us to see him in the factory team, and in light of his extremely convincing season with a private team in 2020, we hope he can do even better this year&rdquo;.&nbsp;&nbsp;  In the words of the riders   Italian rider Michael Rinaldi is aware that he now has the greatest opportunity of his career so far: &ldquo;2020 will always be a beautiful memory. However, the goals are higher now, and I will work hard to achieve great results. Returning to the team is like coming home to my family, it&rsquo;s a honour and means that the path we have taken has been positive. I&#39;ll do everything I can to make sure the fans have fun during the 2021 season&rdquo;.&nbsp;  Then how can we forget Scott Redding who, having impressed us all during his debut season, now has clear goals ahead of the new season: &ldquo;The great support I received from Ducati was very important last year, and means I&rsquo;ll give my best to make that step that we missed in 2020. Last season I had the opportunity to gain a lot of experience with the bike and the championship. This will allow me to start on an equal footing with my competitors in 2021. I think my strength lies in my mentality, and I&rsquo;ll be chasing the title all the way.&rdquo;  High-level encouragement   Ducati Corse management was also on hand to offer their encouragement, starting with CEO Claudio Domenicali. &ldquo;The Panigale V4 R is absolutely one of the closest road bikes to a real racing bike. There is a strong union with Aruba.it, our long-standing partner, and a very important technological collaboration. As for our riders, they are true ambassadors of our brand and we look forward to the start of the 2021 season with optimism.&quot;  A sentiment echoed by Gigi Dall&rsquo;Igna, the man behind all the Ducatis that take to the world&rsquo;s racetracks. &ldquo;The 2020 season has been exciting, and to see both of our riders fighting for top positions is a source of great satisfaction and pride for all of Ducati Corse. This year, with Scott and Michael, I&#39;m sure we&#39;ll be very competitive and that we&#39;ll be able to take another step forward and further improve our bikes&#39; performance&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  SBK, Go Eleven throws down the gauntlet: &ldquo;This blue bike needs to beat the red Ducatis&rdquo; 

Rinaldi and Redding unveil the new Panigale livery. Michael: &quot;I&rsquo;m returning to the family, my goals are higher now&rdquo;. Scott: &ldquo;My mentality is my strength, I&rsquo;m on a level playing field with my rivals now&quot;

WorldSBK, Ducati Aruba presentation: a two-pronged title attempt

It&rsquo;s the evening prior to the Superbike test and riders are ready to head out and start their preparation ahead of the 2021 season. But not everyone has bikes on their mind, and one man in particular is thinking of his girlfriend.  We see a different side to Scott Redding as he drops his hard man image and literally &lsquo;melts&rsquo; with romantic words to mark the birthday of his girlfriend, Jacey Hayden.  &ldquo;You warm the coldest days&rdquo;      &nbsp;   &nbsp;  &nbsp;    &nbsp;     Visualizza questo post su Instagram   &nbsp;    &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;    &nbsp;  &nbsp;    &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;     &nbsp;  &nbsp;   Un post condiviso da Reddingpower (@reddingpower)     The British rider has dedicated a post to Jacey, his girlfriend of more than a year: &ldquo;Happy birthday to the finest lady that walks this earth. When my days are hard you make them easy, when the days are cold you make them warm. When the days are dull you make them bright. Honestly your just amazing and your all moine&rdquo;, writes a romantic Scott.&nbsp;  Scott, it&rsquo;s time to go testing!   The Aruba Ducati rider returned from Los Angeles yesterday and has travelled to Jerez de la Frontera in time for testing, which will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. Perhaps, considering that he&rsquo;s far from his girlfriend on her special day, Scott wanted to reveal his softer side.  But the important thing is that, from tomorrow, he is fully focused on his other &lsquo;girl&rsquo;, or rather the red bike that awaits him in the Ducati garage.     &nbsp;   &nbsp;  &nbsp;    &nbsp;     Visualizza questo post su Instagram   &nbsp;    &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;    &nbsp;  &nbsp;    &nbsp;  &nbsp;  &nbsp;     &nbsp;  &nbsp;   Un post condiviso da Aruba.it Racing - Ducati (@aruba.it_racing)     Translated by Heather Watson  Australian borders closed: MotoGP and SBK at risk 

Redding publishes a romantic post to mark his girlfriend&rsquo;s birthday. The Brit has travelled from Los Angeles to Spain for tomorrow&rsquo;s test

WorldSBK, Redding&rsquo;s soft side: &ldquo;Jacey, you warm me up&rdquo;

We&rsquo;re back with that quintessential off-season question, one that we&rsquo;ve actually been repeating for the last five years around these parts. Will Johnny Rea continue to dominate in SBK or will he finally meet his match? The Cannibal has won the last six editions, one after the other, only momentarily disturbed by other riders, and so we again ask ourselves whether the Ninja might come up against any more solid obstacles in 2021?  We recall Tom Sykes on the Kawasaki, for example, and Chaz Davies with the Ducati Panigale twin. Or, even better, Alvaro Bautista in 2019, when the Spaniard looked to have finally put paid to the Northern Irishman&#39;s rule. The number 19 V4 R dominated here, there and everywhere until one day&hellip; it didn&rsquo;t. Fatal for the Aruba rider, decisive for the Provec rider.  This year was different, shorter and more compressed in terms of its rounds. At a certain point, Scott Redding appeared to have the situation under control, strong from his wins at Jerez. But the multi-titled champ responded in kind at Portimao, starting a trend that would lead him to his umpteenth crown. His sixth.  It will take a rebel to beat the King. Or rather, a subject who doesn&rsquo;t suffer from subjection. A rival who is fast of bike and tenacious of mind, who makes the garage his home and focuses on just one thing &ndash; putting an end to green supremacy. Can anyone, or anything, do it? Particularly considering that Akashi is bringing a new toy to the track?  High expectations for the Ducati duo but&hellip; will there be internal conflict?   Scott Redding can benefit from having already completed a season, albeit shorter than planned, with the factory Aruba team. Good news for the Brit, considering how much he had to learn in 2020. New bike, tyres, certain tracks. And a new environment, for a rider who left MotoGP before winning on home turf and being welcomed to SBK. Shall we say that 2021 might be his year? Let&rsquo;s say it.    As long as Michael Ruben Rinaldi is in agreement that is. The two still have to measure each other up, Estoril their only experience as team-mates. With a new team, the balance can shift, particularly on an Italian team where an Italian rider is ready to give it his all. Rino will need to clock up the miles and find his feet but, as we&rsquo;ve seen, if there&rsquo;s one rival who doesn&rsquo;t fear Rea, it&rsquo;s the Italian. The only tension (although it&#39;s just our opinion, and in no way a certainty) might result from a self-destructive internal battle. In Kawasaki that will never happen, as JR#65 and Alex Lowes offer very different performance levels.  WorldSBK, &quot;ugly&quot; but fast: the new Kawasaki promises to be another winner  Yamaha, Turkish-American firecrackers, but is it enough?   Toprak and Garrett, two similar packages. Razgatlioglu will take on his second year with the Crescent team, while Gerloff will once again line up with GRT. Great, as here we have a pair that boast explosive talent, coolness and courage. In addition, the new R1 M got rave reviews during the tests at the Angel Nieto track. So what&rsquo;s missing?  Continuity. The ability to remain consistent throughout the championship. Johnny is more than capable, but what about the Turk and the American, very fast yes, but not yet used to real pressure. To beat Rea, the pair will need to get a hold on that.    New BMW, old problems, or is VDM a valid solution?  Can Michael Van Der Mark &ndash; the new team SMR hire &ndash; bring that step up in quality that the English-German team seeks? We&rsquo;ve already had a taste of 2021 at Estoril and, lap times aside, the Dutchman seemed pleased. The project is all-new, again, and in Munich they know they can only improve.  And then there&rsquo;s Tom Sykes, out for redemption. Mister Superpole is tired of being quickest over the flying lap &ndash; he started from pole only once in 2020 in fact, at Phillip Island &ndash; and wants to get back on the podium. With a M1000 RR still to be developed, how will he stand up against teams with years of experience? Never say never.  Honda. 2021 is key and requires at least one race win   HRC wants results and, although this year it had some (valid) alibis, next year it will be more demanding in terms of performance. Alvaro Bautista begins the second year of his two-year contract, while Leon Haslam has renewed his agreement. A stable pairing, and there&rsquo;s no controversy &ndash; they&rsquo;re both seasoned professionals after all &ndash; but they weren&rsquo;t exactly on top this year. It&rsquo;s true that the CBR RR-R was a brand-new project, the team too, and so everything needed to gel.  They know this in Japan and have big ambitions as they await the first round. Honda needs to achieve at least one race win, a target that is more than possible. As for the title, we can&rsquo;t yet promise that a Fireblade will come out on top.  Translated by Heather Watson  WorldSBK, Davies and Go Eleven close to a deal, Barni continues its casting 

The Cannibal and the new Kawasaki were immediately among the quickest at Jerez, during a test that Ducati and BMW did not attend. Will the red duo be balanced or will we see an internal battle? Will Yamaha have two consistently sharp weapons in Razgatlioglu and Gerloff?

17 risultati per 'EN Scott Redding'