Scott Redding explains how Toprak Razgatlioglu caused self-doubt in BMW years
Scott Redding reveals the self-doubt he faced in his BMW years, and how Toprak Razgatlioglu affected that.
Former BSB Champion and sixth-year WorldSBK rider Scott Redding says that Toprak Razgatlioglu’s success on the BMW M1000 RR in 2024 caused him to doubt himself.
Redding, who moved from BMW to Ducati machinery over the winter after spending three seasons in World Superbike with the Bavarian brand, said that his struggles on the M1000 RR meant that he started to doubt himself, and indicated that Razgatlioglu’s arrival and quick success on the bike led to further self-questioning.
“I’ve had three difficult years and it’s never easy, you do start to doubt yourself,” Redding told WorldSBK.com.
“Then Toprak [Razgatlioglu] came and he did a great job with the bike and it’s like, ‘Maybe it is me’. As a rider, if you start to doubt yourself, it’s probably the biggest enemy you could have.
“But then I thought I’ve had this in the past, and I’ve re-grouped. I feel I can do more, I’m just not able to show it.
“To have those races, it just fuels my fire of believing in myself again. In racing, that is a massive factor.”
Redding was able to find an immediate improvement in results at the opening round of the season in Australia, taking three top-five finishes although he was never able to clinch a podium.
“The first round of the season, I was happy,” he said.
“I really wanted a podium and I expected to get one when I was there. I’m honest, I’m not going to say I didn’t.
“But to be there fighting again, it really got that fire burning in my stomach that I can fight with these guys and be competitive again.
“The biggest thing I took back was confidence after Australia. Fighting with the front guys is always different, it’s a different strategy and racing. It’s something I needed to brush up on my skills a little bit, learning again in the race in the moment.
“Also, being on the grid, thinking I could potentially go on the podium is a whole different mental game. Then racing and battling with those guys was really nice.
“Overtaking Alvaro [Bautista] one time, overtaking Toprak, being on the back of Bulega and Iannone, it was a great feeling to be back in that area of racing and that’s what I race for.”
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
