British MotoGP: Scott Redding extends stunning home record

Scott Redding continued his incredible record in the British Grand Prix yesterday when he brilliantly fended off a relentless challenge from Moto2 world championship leader Marc Marquez to finish second.

It was the 19-year-old’s third podium in five races in the British Grand Prix and he still hasn’t finished lower than fifth in his world championship career on home soil.

Redding treated a crowd of over 66,000 fans to an all-action display in yesterday’s 18-lap race, which started right from the off when he battled for the lead with compatriot Bradley Smith.

Home pride was clearly at stake in the first two laps as Redding and Smith exchanged the lead with numerous daring but clean overtakes.

Redding told MCN: “It was quite tight out there at times with Bradley. When he passed me off the line I knew I had to try and get him back as quickly as possible and I put a really hard move on him but he stuck one back on me in a really fast place.

“Fairplay because you need big balls to do that at Maggotts Corner which is one of the fastest places on the track.”

Redding said the early dice with Smith had given him the incentive needed to build up his early pace having not wanted to be outdone by his local rival.

He said: “I guess you could say that. I knew he didn’t have the pace to lead the whole race but him leading gave me an incentive to pass him and get to the front as quickly as I could. There was a lot of pride at stake but once I passed him I could lead pretty comfortably.”

Redding led until lap seven when eventual winner Pol Espargaro passed him, which pitted the Marc VDS Racing rider into a thrilling battle with hard riding Spaniard Marquez for the remainder of the race.

The pair were constantly switching back and forth between second and third before the battle came down to the last lap.

Redding seized the initiative at Turn 4 but Marquez used his huge weight advantage to power by Redding’s Kalex machine on the Hangar Straight.

That left Redding with just two opportunities at Stowe and Vale to grab second back.
Unable to out-brake Marquez at Stowe, he capitalised on a small mistake by the former 125GP world champion on the exit.

Plunging down hill to the hard braking zone for the Vale chicane, Redding took the inside like and brilliantly took second.

“I thought I’d done enough then because I managed to hold the inside line coming out of the chicane. And then it got really intense. I was on a real tight line going through the final corner and didn’t think he could try and make a pass but then I saw this orange wheel.

“I could see the finish line was only 100 metres away and thought I am not going to lose second now. I just stayed on my line and it is great to finish second in my home race.

“It’s also cool to beat Marc in a fight like that because for once somebody was a bit more aggressive than him. To be fair to him though it was a tough race and he never gives up,“ said Redding, who is just six-points behind Andrea Iannone for fourth.

Yesterday’s podium was his second of the season and after six races, Redding has already scored seven more points than he did in the entire 17-round campaign in 2011.

For more exclusive reaction from Redding, see Wednesday’s issue of MCN.