Scott Redding’s Moto2 debut set for Catalunya

Scott Redding’s first chance to test for his new Marc VDS Moto2 squad will be at the Catalunya circuit near Barcelona on February 17.

The Gloucestershire rider will take part in a three-day test session, which is due to be attended by several teams poised to contest the new 600cc four-stroke world championship.

The Catalunya test will be the first opportunity for record-breaking Redding and new Belgian teammate Vincent Lonbois to ride the Suter MMX machines that they will campaign in the Moto2 series in 2010.  

The new bikes will be delivered to the Marc VDS Racing Team facility in Gosselies, Belgium this week. 

Redding, who is the youngest rider in history to win a Grand Prix, told MCN: “I can’t wait to get started and work with the team.

“I’ve been training hard and after not knowing for such a long time whether I had a ride or not, I can’t wait to get on the bike and get ready for the season. I’m feeling really good about 2010.

“I’m in a really strong team on a bike I know will be competitive, so I’ll be looking to learn as much as possible about the bike ahead of the first race.”

The bikes, which have been designed by former Grand Prix rider, Eskil Suter, have already been tested extensively as part of the Swiss engineer’s ongoing development process, but will be supplied to the Marc VDS Racing Team as a rolling chassis only.

Team Manager Michael Bartholemy said: “We looked long and hard at all the machinery options open to us, even travelling to the Valencia test to see the bikes early in their development process.

“It was a difficult choice, but I believe that the Suter MMX machine was the best option for the Marc VDS Racing Team.

“I have dealt with Eskil Suter in the past and we already have a good working relationship.

“I also think that the Grand Prix engineering expertise Suter Racing gained working on projects with both Kawasaki and Ilmor in MotoGP has enabled them to design a bike that will be competitive from the start of this new championship.”

With the Honda engines specified in the Moto2 regulations not yet available, Redding will test initially with the same supersport-tuned CBR600 engines that took Eugene Laverty to second place in the 2009 World Supersport Championship standings.

Bartholemy added: “We need to get the riders up to race speed as soon as possible during testing.

“In the absence of the engines specified in the technical regulations we decided to go with a full supersport-tuned engine for testing, as this will be fairly close in terms of power output and delivery characteristics to the engine that we will eventually race.

“Performance Technical Racing have an unrivalled track record when it comes to reliable race tuning of the CBR600 engine, as they proved once again this year by battling at the front of the World Supersport Championship.”