Scott Redding back with Marc VDS on factory Honda

Scott Redding will make a dream return to the Marc VDS Racing squad in 2015 to ride a factory Honda RC213V in next year’s MotoGP world championship.
After a period of intense negotiations, Marc VDS Racing confirmed its MotoGP switch in a short Twitter message last night in Misano.

Multi-millionaire team owner Marc van der Straten agreed a three-year deal to lease a factory spec RC213V after lengthy meetings with HRC bosses Shuhei Nakamoto and Livio Suppo

Redding has got a two-year deal to ride the bike, which will pit him against Marc Marquez and fellow Briton Cal Crutchlow on identical machinery in 2015.

Redding’s future has been the subject of intense speculation after it became clear that his Gresini squad could not raise the budget to lease the factory RC213V earmarked for the 21-year-old.

Gresini Racing has Redding under contract for 2015, but their relationship will cease in November with Fausto Gresini confirming last weekend in Misano that he will help Aprilia run its official factory team, which will be back in the premier class next season for the first time since 2004.

Redding has been linked with the Aprilia ride at Gresini, while Pramac Ducati had made no secret of its desire to sign the Gloucestershire rider, with the Bologna factory keeping the seat vacated by Andrea Iannone open.

The high profile Aspar was also closely monitoring Redding’s situation if he was on the open market, but his dream scenario has always been to be reunited with the Marc VDS Racing squad he left at the end of last season.

Redding rode for Marc VDS in Moto2 between 2010 and 2013 and last season he came close to becoming Britain’s first GP world champion since Barry Sheene.

During his four-year stint with Marc VDS Racing, Redding formed a close bond with team owner van der Straten, who confirmed to MCN in Misano that he would not have committed millions of his own money to the MotoGP project if Redding was not the rider.

Redding’s RC213V will be equipped with Ohlins suspension and Brembo brakes, which he had courted so much after racing with Showa and Nissin on his production Honda RCV1000R this season.

There has not yet been any official word on Redding’s crew chief. Former Repsol Honda chief engineer Pete Benson, who was with Redding throughout his Moto2 spell at Marc VDS, is expected to remain with Tito Rabat in the intermediate category next season.

A favourite choice of Redding’s was ex-Casey Stoner crew chief Cristian Gabbarini, who has worked with the Briton this year as HRC’s representative overseeing the RCV1000R Open class project.

Gabbarini though is tipped to land the crew chief role with Aussie Jack Miller, whose deal to switch from Moto3 to the LCR Honda squad in MotoGP is expected to be officially confirmed later this week.

Marc VDS will continue to field a two-rider effort in Moto2 next season with Rabat and Alex Marquez.