Can Redding bounce back from Aragon nightmare in Assen, Rea the favourite?

With the 2022 Aragon WorldSBK round proving to be a weekend to forget for Redding, the former MotoGP and BSB rider has a chance to redeem himself at a circuit he calls ‘good for me’. 

The season opener saw Redding claim just one point from three races - his worst return in any WorldSBK weekend since joining the championship in 2020. 

• Aragon WorldSBK: Frustration boils over for Scott Redding, 'hard to accept' 
• Razgatlioglu to use 2021-spec R1 at Assen following front tyre woes in Aragon 
• Irwin had 'nothing left' for final laps, Skinner calls pace 'ridiculous'

Redding's switch from Ducati to BMW was seen as a bold move, but one that could bring the desired results further down the line given the German manufacturer's heavy investment into its relatively young project. 

So with only one race weekend down, the jury on how well Redding and BMW will perform remains out. 

Although challenging for serious points will probably have to wait, Redding could bounce back this weekend as the Brit has achieved podiums in Moto2, MotoGP, BSB and WorldSBK at Assen. 

“Assen is a good track for me, a track that I had a lot of good results on in the past,” added Redding. “It’s a track I really enjoy to ride. 

“The atmosphere is always amazing with the fans there. I also lived there for a while, so I have some friends there and it feels very good for me to go to Assen. 

“I think it is maybe a circuit a little bit better suited for our bike, so I hope to get better results than in Aragón and work from there.”

Where will Redding stand vs Michael Van Der Mark?

Lining-up alongside Redding for the first time in 2022 will be Michael Van Der Mark, after the Dutchman missed the season opener due to injury. 

Van Der Mark, who claimed BMW’s first win in eight years last season - beat Redding to the win at Portimao coincidently - has a year of experience over Redding on the M 1000 RR, which is likely to be invaluable throughout the year. 

But after missing all of pre-season testing and Aragon, it remains unclear how fit Van Der Mark will be. 

Given the fact Van Der Mark is making his first appearance of the year on the new 2022 M 1000 RR, Redding should be able to match the four-time Suzuka 8 hours winner, even if ‘I expect to ride at the top’ says Van Der Mark. 

Should that happen, then potential top ten results are possible for Redding as the former Pata Yamaha and Honda rider was a regular points scorer in 2021, while Assen also proved to be one of his better weekends when it came to performance in the dry. 

Speaking ahead of his home round, the 29 year-old said: “After the forced break of several weeks I feel ready to return at my home round in Assen. Of course it depends on the final medical check on Thursday but I am confident I can get back on my BMW M 1000 RR at the weekend. 

“The healing process after the surgery went very well. I also had several treatments that additionally seem to have helped to speed up my recovery. I regularly trained in the gym, with an adjusted programme, and that enabled me to keep my fitness at a high level. Of course, I am not expecting to ride at the top at Assen. 

“I know that it will be a challenge, as I haven’t ridden my WorldSBK BMW M 1000 RR since the end of last year and I missed all the pre-season tests in spring time so I also don’t know all the developments made over winter and I first need to understand them before I can benefit from them. 

“In addition, I am feeling very well but am not back to 100 percent fitness yet, so for me, the most important thing would be to be back in action without focusing on any results. Then we move forward step by step.”

Can WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu, Alvaro Bautista stop Jonathan Rea? 

In terms of battling for the win, three names that are sure to be in contention include Toprak Razgatlioglu, series leader Alvaro Bautista and Jonathan Rea who has a stunning 15 wins at Assen - the most for any rider at a single track. 

Rea did the treble in 2021 which proved to be the only hat-trick from any rider during the year. 

However, with Bautista beating Rea at Assen in 2019 and Razgatlioglu looking for his first win of the year, don’t expect Rea to have things all his own way. 

Rea added: “I expect to do my best again. Of course, I expect to be strong, but you never know how strong. The level is really good now. 

“I hope my bike works well from the first day and we can, step-by-step, build the package. I think the temperature will be a little bit lower than it was in Motorland, so we have to understand the life of all the tyre options and see what happens. 

“But Assen is a track I really love. A lot of fans make the journey from the UK, so I’m excited.”