Redding picks up debut podium in British Superbikes

Former MotoGP rider Scott Redding opened his 2019 British Superbike campaign with what he described as a “not deserved” podium finish at Silverstone.

Dropped by Aprilia last year in favour of Andrea Iannone, Redding signed to join the front-running Paul Bird Motorsport squad, settling on a switch to BSB over options in World Superbike and Moto2.

The 26-year-old qualified his Ducati V4 R third on the grid for Sunday’s opening race of the season, behind McAMS Yamaha duo Tarran Mackenzie and Jason O’Halloran.

After being picked off early on by the OMG Suzuki of fellow BSB rookie Josh Elliott, Redding circulated alone in fourth for the bulk of the race until the final lap, when lead pair Mackenzie and O’Halloran collided at Luffield, resulting in the latter crashing out.

Mackenzie was assessed a three-second penalty for the incident, handing victory to Elliott, while O’Halloran’s exit meant Redding was promoted to third.

“That wasn’t a deserved podium from my side,” Redding told Eurosport. “The Yamahas and the Suzukis could carry so much corner speed I couldn’t really hang in with them.

“I was trying and trying, and getting more and more loose, so I decided to settle for fourth. There was nothing I could do [to catch the lead trio].

“It’s great to be on the podium but I didn’t really deserve it this time.”

Redding's maiden BSB weekend concluded with a crash at Brooklands corner in the second race later in the day, the result of contact with Honda rider Andrew Irwin.

His PBM Ducati teammate Josh Brookes retired from both races with mechanical problems.

Mackenzie and Elliott jointly lead the points standings after finishing first and second respectively in race two, as O'Halloran dropped out early on with a blown engine.

Ducati's V4 R is currently unbeaten in WSBK, thanks to Alvaro Bautista’s run of 11 race victories, and also has a perfect record in Italian Superbike courtesy of Ducati MotoGP tester Michele Pirro.