Redding Completes Historic Day For Great Britain
- Sep 14, 2015
- 2 min read
Scott Redding's second season in the premier class has not gone the way it should have. With a factory RC213V Honda underneath him, many expected regular top six finishes from the 2013 Moto2 runner-up. But a difficult bike with an over aggressive engine and major handling issues has seen Redding unable to find his way up the grid.
Silverstone saw him take his best result of the season in 6th after a tenacious ride in the wet conditions, and would definitely have fancied his chances with the changeable weather in Misano. With rain steadily falling from the start, Redding was scything his way through the pack and by lap six was up to 4th. But a crash at turn four dropped him right down the order.
Luckily for him the bike was pretty much intact, so he was able to get back to the pits for his second bike and began charging his way up the field again. Back up to 4th once again by the time his second stop came around Redding found himself closing in on 3rd placed Loris Baz by three seconds a lap, and passed the Frenchman around the outside of turn two with four laps to go.
The Marc VDS rider built up a gap to the Forward Yamaha fairly rapidly and cruised home to a best finish in MotoGP of 3rd – a just reward for a near career damaging season on the dogged Honda. His 3rd, combined with compatriot Bradley Smith's 2nd, made this race the first time since the 1979 500cc Venezuelan Grand Prix (Barry Sheene & Tom Herron) that two Brits finished on the premier class podium.
“I had nothing to lose, so I was pushing so hard at the start. I locked the front and went straight, dropped it in the gravel and as fast as I could I tried to get the bike back on track. Then I though I would come in for the rain, but the wet tyres weren't working so I cam in with nothing to lose. I was feeling good catching Baz, pushing and pushing and then I was there.”
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