WorldSBK Assen: ‘It feels like I’m riding an alligator’ - Redding

After taking a single point away from the opening WorldSBK round at Motorland Aragon, thanks to a 15th place finish in race one, Scott Redding was so affected by a nightmare first BMW race weekend that he didn’t speak to the media.

He opened up about it on Saturday at Assen, having qualified 15th and raced to a ninth place.

“Yeah, it was soul destroying because to me it’s not even competitive to be riding round in 15th, 16th position all weekend,” told bikesportnews.com at Assen.

“But that’s where we are. I think at the moment we are not improved from last year. The other guys have gone faster. We are a bit faster, but they are making a bigger step. So, to come here, I expected to be close. I expected to feel a little bit better on the bike, which is good because at least I feel better, regardless of the result and everything.

In Aragon, I felt like I couldn’t even ride. I just wanted to go home. Here it’s a lot better. I just wish we could take a bit more to be a bit more competitive. First five guys, you forget and you have to try to see about the sixth position is what we are targeting at the moment.

“The gap is still far. Loris was the first BMW. Qualified seventh. Lost some positions. The gap is too far. I think it was 18 seconds or something, on a track which is suited to the bike.”

Going sixth on the road in race two, as it were, then fifth after Axel Bassani got pinged for exceeding the track limits too often in the race, Redding was one of the regular top six riders to come and speak.

He said whatever changed to make him finishing in the upper-echelons - even with some high profile fallers or retirees - it was not a new technical or setup miracle.

“Not a lot changed for me,” said Redding. “The lap time was the