The MX passion of MotoGP star Scott Redding
There are more MotoGP riders who have a soft spot for motocross. That is certainly the case for Aprilia factory rider Scott Redding. After all, the 2 Moto2013 vice world champion started as a motocross rider, can now also be found regularly on a dirt track and his girlfriend is five-time WMX world champion Kiara Fontanesi!
We spoke with Scott a few ways back during the Assen TT. Scott Redding may be an Englishman, but the Dutch TT was also a home race for him. He lived in the Benelux for a long time. Redding is a motorsports enthusiast through and through. During his time with the Marc VDS Racing team, he sometimes even competed for the Belgian Supermoto Championship on weekends off.
However, there appears to be no room for him on the MotoGP grid for next year. Aprilia Racing has attracted the Italian Andrea Iannone for next year. Redding did receive an offer from the Noale brand to work for them as a test driver. But as a 25-year-old, Redding thinks it is still too early to take that step now. Despite the difficult season redding power his affable self. His honesty is also disarming “I didn't study for anything, there are many things in everyday life that I don't know anything about. Actually, it was always my intention to become a professional racing driver. What should I do differently? No idea."
In any case, it would be a shame if we no longer see Redding in MotoGP. Not long ago he was considered one of the most promising young riders in the premier class of road racing. Moreover, he made history by being the youngest ever, 15 years and 170 days to be precise, to win a 125cc GP. In total, the popular Briton has 4 GP victories, 18 podium finishes - including 2 in MotoGP - and 3 poles to his name. So not the first. Perhaps his current peak as a cross-country rider was when he started last month went motocrossing with Chad Reed and Kiara Fontanesi!
As a joke, Scott asked his many Instagram followers a few weeks ago what their suggestion was for him: starting a farm, MotoGP, becoming a full-time dad, Moto2, motorcycle mechanic, painter, World Superbike Championship or riding the Italian 125cc MX Championship! Just to say, motocross isn't just an afterthought in Scott Redding's life.
Scott, do you have a specific system for starting a GP weekend on Friday? What do you do during the first two free training sessions?.
Scott Redding: “At the beginning of the season we had certain strategies and I tried to develop the bike further. Now I leave the bike mostly as it is and only change the suspension settings. You're already thinking about the race on Friday and that's why I always try to make slightly longer runs. In those longer runs you can see the effect the circuit has on the tires and you have to base your tire choice on that.”
You are someone who works with motorcycles every day. How did you fall in love with motorcycles and motorsports?
Redding: “To be honest, I didn't fall in love with motorcycles, I just grew up around them. It wasn't like I went to my father or uncle and asked if I could ride a motorcycle. From the age of four I was simply put on one! And that felt completely normal to me. I enjoyed it more when I was younger. At 15e I already rode in the 125 cc World Championship for the first season (ed. where Redding won his home GP in Donington) and from then on it became more of a job.”
In which motorsport discipline did you take your first steps?
Redding: “I started as a motocross rider. But as a child I didn't really think that was my sport and so after a few years I switched to pocket bikes. Now that is a bit different, now I like to ride cross as training. I enjoy it too.”
Your friend Kiara Fontanesi is the reigning Motocross World Champion. Does it help that you are both motorsports enthusiasts and therefore understand each other's careers?
Redding: “Yes, you understand each other's careers, but at the same time it is also difficult. Quite a few racers suffer from stress. So you can imagine what it means when two of you live together. Especially when they have both had a bad weekend in their respective disciplines. On the other hand, Kiara understands better than any other girl what I have to do and not do for my career. She understands the challenges. At the same time, she is a champion who always wants to win. And I want to win too! And those ambitions can put pressure on a relationship. But fortunately, so far we have succeeded in making a distinction between our work and our home situation.”
You lived near Groningen for a while, does this mean that the Dutch TT was a kind of home race for you?
Redding: "Anyway. My best buddy Jasper (ed. Iwema, the former Moto3 pilot) is Dutch and I have some other friends there. Because everyone here speaks fluent English, I can also talk to the fans. Moreover, we have almost the same sense of humor. So I feel at home here!”
What's so fun about off-road motorcycles for you?
Redding: “The kick you get from it. I have done road racing almost all my life, but supermoto, motocross or dirt track is very different. The movement of the bike, the drifting, the jumps… I love it. And it is good training to ride an off-road motorcycle because you cannot just train with a MotoGP motorcycle whenever you want.”
Thanks for the interview Scott, good luck for the rest of the season!
Redding: "Don't mention it!"
Below is a combined gallery of Scott Redding motocross and MotoGP in Assen. That sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?! In September it will be Kiara Fontanesi's turn for the penultimate WMX GP, which will take place on the famous Drenthe circuit.
Photos: Aprilia / Scott Redding Instagram
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