Making History : Scott Redding

A year is a long time in racing, but 35 years is an eternity. It has been 35 years since a home grown talent has managed to win the British Grand Prix, thankfully that is a statistic that can now be put to bed.

In a display that has won many plaudits from some of the top riders in the sport today, Redding was cool, calm and decisive in every move he made, through a tough and extremely gusty race, and ultimately providing the 90,000 strong crowd with the perfect cure for the harsh weekend weather and renewed our hope that we may have a champion in the series again one day.

For many Scott’s journey to the top has been a meteoric rise onto the world scene, but for Scott and his many followers his victory on Sunday was the product of many years hard work and dedication, travelling back and forth competing in several different class and championships. At just fifteen Scott already has an impressive resume in the sport and it looks like he’s set for a bright future. So how did Scott get to where he is today?

Scott was riding on minimotos aged just eight years old when he was discovered by Julian Hayward. Even back then Julian could see something in Scott and decided that he should try his hand at some races. Scott didn’t disappoint by finishing second in all four of the races that he was entered in. Scott’s amazing journey started from there as he spent the next two years dominating the minimoto scene, even making the journey to Italy to compete in the European series. Again Scott came up with the goods and managed to finish fourth in the European series. On occasions Scott was sent out to race against adults in an attempt to give him some competition, If only they had know the talent they were riding against.

A new challenge was needed though and it came along in the form of the new 50cc championship which Scott entered on a Conti bike. The bike may have changed but one thing that didn’t was the impressive results that Scott turned in as he managed to wrap up the title. Scott’s next move was to be an important one, a switch to a new machine and a new championship run by Roger and Robert Keys of FAB Racing. (Fifties and Bigger) Scott switched to a Metrakit MiniGP 50cc bike and after another impressive seasons riding managed to walk away with another title to his name.

FAB Racing is a professionally run organisation that looks to nurture the talent of tomorrow and help develop it alone the way. Both were sure that they had seen something special in Scott and decided that for the following year, Scott should move up to the European Metrakit 80cc class in Spain.

Aged just 12, Scott stepped out into the European scene once again to test his skill on the ultimate level for his age group. Still it certainly wasn’t a cheap option to take and Scott was under pressure to perform, However it was the rest of the field that was under pressure attempting to stop Scott from running away with the series as he won all six rounds of the championship, a fantastic feat which didn’t go unnoticed by some of the top organisation, Scott was really starting to make a name for himself.

In December of 2005 Scott got an interesting invite to try out for the MotoGP academy. Scott wasted little time in impressing the organisers, Dorna, who thought it would be beneficial for Scott to enter in to the CEV championship in Spain which is just one step away from being on the full world level.

It was to be a very trying year for Scott, with some physical issues affecting his performance at some rounds, while there were a few technical problems which also held Scott back from showing his full potential. However Scott’s determination never faulted, he was always giving 100% and looking at how he could improve and get back to where he knew he could be. He was rewarded at the final race of the season with a fantastic 3rd place podium, which ensured his progression to the next level.

Teams in the CEV championship had been monitoring Scott’s progress over the course of the year and the BLU:sens BQR team decided that Redding was the kind of rider that they wanted to be part of their team. The team which would be making a switch to Aprilia machinery for 2007 placed no pressures on Scott at initial testing, but like he always does Scott shone through with a fantastic performance outpacing some GP regulars, giving the team a pre season boost.

Redding had an experienced team mate in the form of seventeen year old Stefan Bradl, who was making a comeback to racing after a short break. The season ahead looked to be shaping up nicely with Redding set to perform on the largest stage for his age group (Redding was still only 14, therefore he was not allowed into the World Championship) a new team and an experienced team mate to learn from and compete against.

As is to be expected there were a few teething problems with the new bike which resulted in Scott failing to finish in a points scoring finish in his first outing with the bike. However Scott remained undeterred and bounced back with incredible strength and valour, to score a top ten finish in only his second outing, he then managed to continue his impressive run with a fourth at the next race before making his first podium of the season at the following race with an impressive 2nd place just behind team mate Bradl. Scott had clearly found his feet with the bike and had settled in well to the championship and was on the offensive. While Several of the other riders had the opportunity to compete as wildcards in various other events Scott was restricted because of his age. Scott’s lack of bike time didn’t hold him back though and he managed to rack up back to back victories in the next two rounds of the CEV championship, meaning that mathematically he still went into the final round with a chance of taking the championship.

Redding knew that if he was to win the CEV title then he would require his team mate Bradl to finish lower than fifth. Redding managed to keep the pressure on Bradl with a third consecutive win to keep his championship hopes alive, but Bradl managed to bring the bike home in third to take the CEV championship. It was an amazing result for Scott in only his first season with the BLU:sens team. It was decided that Scott should move up to the World Championship with the BLU:sens team for 2008 as he would turn fifteen in January and therefore be eligable to compete in the championship.

With Scott promoted to the World Championship team for 2008, Redding wasted little time in continuing his mesmerizing form, astounding the media and fans with an amazing qualifying display finishing in fourth place at the opening round at Qatar, making him the youngest rider ever to qualify on the front row of a grand prix event. Not content with that Redding was mixing it with the leaders in his first world championship race, setting the fastest lap as he progressed through the field after he dropped to eighth at the start. As the final lap approached Redding was still in the hunt for a debut podium, unfortunately his ’07 spec Aprilia was out gunned on the run up to the line and he had to settle for a very impressive fifth in his first World Championship outing.

Since then Redding has steadily and methodically picked up consistent finishes to provide himself with a very solid points total for his rookie campaign. As the British Grand Prix approached it appeared that the pressure was on the five home grown riders as for the first time in years there was a real hope of a podium finish, but no one was expecting what happened. Scott's track time at Donington was limited, a few laps on a 80cc Metrakit bike in the rain didn’t really give the Gloustershire rider a home advantage over his world championship rivals, however it didn’t stop Redding from claiming his third front row start of the season. After an impressive start Redding got boxed in and held up by the chasing pack while Iannone made a break for it at the front. Further back down the pack, Danny Webb's race was ended when he was collect by another rider, breaking his collarbone in the fall. Scott knew that he had more speed and made an impressive overtaking manoeuvre round the outside into second and set about pressurising Iannone.

After several laps with the gap maintaining at one second Redding pushed on and eroded the lead over the course of a lap and a half which had Ionnone worriedly looking over his shoulder at the incoming attack. It was this pressure that led to the mistake which sent Iannone sliding out of the race at the craner curves, leaving Redding to inherit the lead and start the most nervous six and a half laps for all the British fans in attendance, including Scott’s family and friends. The elation at the finish was clear for everyone to see.

Scott has been helped along by many people who believed in his ability to be successful at the top level, including his dad Adrian and his Uncle Daryl, who spent time travelling and supporting Scott helping him to achieve his dream. Former BSB team owner and now WSB team owner Paul Bird has also been influential in Redding’s career, as have Roger and Roberts Keys at FAB racing. It’s a shame to say that with out all this help Scott Redding could have remained an undiscovered talent. Funding for British riders is not as widely available as it appears to be throughout Europe with companies queuing up to sponsor the next superstar. Hopefully Scott’s brilliant performance was justification for all of their hard work over the years. I’m sure it won’t be the last time we’ll see him or one of the other lads on the top step of the podium, and with the likes of Bradley Smith and Danny Webb pushing on as well, I don’t think we’ll have to wait another 35 years for a British GP win.

Making History : Scott Redding

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