Scott Redding outlines “comeback kid dream” for Ducati World Superbike return
32-year-old back on a Ducati for 2025 season
Scott Redding says his “dream” for the opening round of the 2025 World Superbike campaign is to breach the podium as the “comeback kid” on his return to Ducati.
The Briton returns to riding Panigale machinery for the first time since he was a factory Ducati rider in 2021, having spent the last three seasons on a BMW.
Redding has gone without a podium for two years now as he struggled for form on the BMW, but hopes to rebound as the MGM Bonovo squad switches to a Ducati for 2025.
“For Australia, let’s see,” he told WorldSBK.com.
“In testing it’s always difficult to get a real understanding. Nicolo [Bulega] is obviously in a world of his own at the moment and he is riding really well.
“Good thing is I can kind of see a little bit what he is doing, but to adapt that style will take a bit of time.
“I personally would be happy with top five - that would be a goal. Going off how testing has been for me, I thought I’d be a little bit more ahead but in two days I didn’t really extract anything and that’s held me back a little bit.
“But when you’re in the top five it’s always possible to fight for the podium.
“It would be a dream to be on the podium here in my first race as the ‘comeback kid’.
“And for this season, progress. If I start this race weekend and I finished 10th, it is what it is.
“Next race I want to finish ninth, eighth. I need to rebuild myself as Scott Redding and get back my riding style and my speed.
“Maybe it takes a bit more time than I think, but the goal is always to improve and the goal is to try to win. This is what we want to achieve by the end of the season.”
Redding was outside of the top 10 on both days testing in Australia this week, but feels he has “a base” to work with going into the season opener.
“Adapting back to the Ducati has been nice,” he added.
“It’s not been super easy. There have been a couple of things that my riding style that I’ve adapted in the past three years that I need to get out of, a little bit like a bad habit.
“It takes a bit of time. But slowly we are getting there.
“Honesty, pre-season has been good. A little bit more difficult adapting than I thought, but mentally I feel really good.
“I feel really amazing with my team, I feel phenomenal with the bike.
“Obviously those two days I got were not enough, but after this last test session we had here in Phillip Island I sat down with my team and said ‘I’m happy, I feel I have a base, I feel confident that now I can work on myself and be a better rider’.
“And that felt pretty good with all the team. We made progress, so if you asked me in Portimao, I’d have said ‘it will be difficult’.
“But I feel now comfortable and relaxed and that’s how I need to start the season.”
