Scott Redding was usually the driver most critical of safety in the 2021 WSBK season. When the Superbike World Championship traveled to Most in the Czech Republic in August, the Briton didn’t mince his words and voiced his concerns about the run-off areas of the Autodrom Most.
Redding had previously tested a series machine and found the course to be unsafe for the approximately 240 hp World Championship Superbikes.
In addition, Redding repeatedly complained about the aggressive driving style of some colleagues, above all Yamaha rider Toprak Razgatlioglu. After the future world champion aggressively pushed past Redding in the penultimate corner of race one, there were some heated verbal duels in Parc Ferme.
Do drivers still have the respect they had ten years ago? “No, it’s different. It’s completely different,” noted Redding. “Today the drivers attack from the first corner, as in the case of Alex Lowes in Barcelona. He was lucky because 15 other drivers came behind him who were able to avoid him,” remembers the Briton of the WSBK event in September.
“A lot of drivers are fighting for their careers,” Redding is aware of. “But how much is a career worth and how much do you respect your opponents? That’s why I was so upset at Most. I didn’t feel that it was the right course to compete like that. I had to shit a lot after that listen. I don’t care, I don’t care. “
“If something had happened, everyone would have criticized: ‘Oh yes, it was too hard, they should have done something.’ But nothing happened. But I always try to see both sides. What if something happens and what if nothing happens? “, Redding explains his stance.
The paddock is in shock in Jerez
A little later, at the WSBK event in Jerez, you saw how quickly a tragic accident can happen. In the first race of the Supersport 300 World Championship there was an incident in which Dean Berta Vinales lost his life. The paddock of the Superbike World Championship in shock.
“What if he had just injured himself? Nobody would have said anything. Nobody would have given any thought,” says Redding, who noticed changes in his colleagues’ driving style. After the cancellation of the first run on Saturday, two main races were started on Sunday.
“The races were much quieter. The overtaking maneuvers were a little less aggressive,” said Redding. “I feel like it was kind of a reality shock for the people in the paddock. It’s just sad that it takes such a bad thing to make everyone wake up.”
Redding questions risks
“And that was what I said in Most: It wasn’t safe. And for that I received a lot of bad comments. But what would have happened if there had been an incident?” Asks the then Ducati factory driver and demands: “We shouldn’t take these risks into account. But we do that and compete in races. If I want to be paid, then I have to drive. That’s my job.”
As part of the racing weekend in Most, there was a meeting on Friday to talk about safety. According to insiders, it was agreed to reassess the situation in the event of a rain race. Apart from that, sporting director Gregorio Lavilla remained determined on course and did not allow any rejection.
But in Jerez, after the death of Dean Berta Vinales, the Dorna sports director showed another side of himself. “It was the first time that I saw his human side. It hit him hard,” says Redding. “I respect him. He didn’t show this side in Most. There was a meeting at the time and he said that we should ‘drive our own pace’ and ‘decide how fast we go’.”
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