Scott Redding after breakthrough weekend: "I have a lot of fight left in me"

Scott Redding bounced back at his home WorldSBK round as he finally got his 2024 season kickstarted.

With no top five finishes prior to Donington Park, Redding secured P4 in both Sunday races, while also challenging for a podium in Race 1 before suffering a DNF.

"I'm just happy with how the weekend has gone and how it has finished up," said a very happy Redding. 

"I gained a lot of confidence and it was a big change for a race weekend. The Superpole Race was not good but not bad. 

"I'm still happy to finish fourth in a Superpole Race; if you had told me that [I would be fourth in a Superpole Race] I would have ripped your arm off. 

"I'm not fully happy though because I think I could have had that podium but I messed up the start a bit. I felt like at Donington they held the lights a little bit longer than we're used to so the hand was definitely trying to go. 

"Then you're in the mix and I lost that group but slowly I was catching Jonathan [Rea] and I thought that if I was closer then maybe it was there. But I'm still happy with fourth and the feeling in the race."

In Race 2 Redding held off Alvaro Bautista in fine fashion as he didn't allow the two-time champion to get within a second.

Redding added: "Race 2 I felt really good, just tried to stay calm. I didn't want to do anything silly and wasn't going to beat the first two guys. 

"So I stayed in my position and then Alex [Lowes] passed me and I was staying there, feeling good, but I was struggling with the brake. 

"I had to adjust it five times per lap and then I was struggling with arm pump riding with one arm. Then I was trying to manage the gap behind, manage the gap in front and then I made a small mistake. 

"It was quite intense because I was having a good weekend and wanted to finish strong. Having the pressure of Alvaro behind; he's normally quite fast at the end of races so I had a lot of stress but it was worthwhile. 

"The big thing for me this weekend was building confidence and knowing you can do it and proving to myself I can do it. 

"But not riding at the front for such a long time is mentally different than racing when you're in 15th position. That was the most difficult thing. 

"I was fighting with myself to stay calm in the race and not make mistakes. I did well but hopefully being at the front more, it will come back to me."

With Bonovo leaving BMW next season and Redding's lack of form heading into Donington Park, questions were being asked about his future.

But Redding feels he still has a lot to offer: "You need to show that you have got it. For myself and for everyone. 

"A lot of people have been writing me off and social media is the worst for it. But if people are writing it they are thinking it. 

"I know I have a lot of fight left in me and it's not the end of me. It's good to have this momentum and go home gaining confidence instead of losing confidence is a big factor."