21-year-old Scott Redding rides for GO&FUN Honda Gresini and is riding in his first season of MotoGP having made the step up from Moto2 where he took three victories last year. See his Official MotoGP profile
here
Scott, you are mid-way through your first year in MotoGP, how's it going?
"It has been good, I'm happy results-wise. I'm enjoying the bike and it is a new challenge. Each weekend it's a new circuit with the bike and I like the challenge of setting up the electronics and tyres."
Bike's off the pace but Scott's giving it a go
Is it a big learning curve?
"Yeah. Not big to ride, but to be fast is another story. It's another league."
What's different?
"The limits. I thought I was on the limit at the beginning of the season but now I'm eight tenths faster and although you feel on the limit, you aren't. It's hard as you think 'the front is going to go' but it doesn't so you need to go faster. Mentally it's very hard. You need to trust the feel, ignore the doubts and go for it - that's hard at 150mph. When you first touch the brakes you are like 'I'm not going to stop!' and at 200mph the wall in front is coming very fast. Sometimes you have to say 'don't freak, don't freak' as if you miss your marker by a few metres it can feel like 20 metres. You have to not panic and just chuck it in."
Your customer Honda was hyped before the season but has failed to live up to expectations. Have you been disappointed?
"You are telling me! When you get told you are getting a bike that is 0.3 seconds slower than a factory bike you expect it to be 0.3, 0.4 or even 0.5 seconds slower - not 1.5 seconds! That's a different story and that's the problem. I was losing 0.4 seconds on a straight at Qatar and also Indy. It's hard and disappointing as I thought we had a chance of top eight finishes but there is a second gap between us and eighth. We might mix it with the Ducatis, but that's it. I'm on the limit, there is no way I can find a second, it's like I am banging my head against a wall at the moment."
Margin to the front-running bikes is frustrating
Has it helped having a slower bike?
"In the beginning it was good for learning, but at the end of the day you can't follow any of the fast boys because as soon as they get to a straight they are gone, which means you can't see their braking points, lines etc. I feel like I'll learn so much more when I get a factory bike."
Do you miss the Moto2 elbow bashing?
"I do miss it, but at 200mph it's a different story. I'm not scared of putting my wheel in, but in MotoGP there is very little room for error. In MotoGP you are on the limit, where in Moto2 you have more to play with. That said, at the start of a MotoGP race when my tyres are up to temperature and some of the other guys' tyres aren't, I'll stick it in!"
What will your bike be like next year?
"I'm still not sure, which can play on your mind. There are two specs of factory Honda, with one million euros between specs! At the moment the money is the issue, I'm waiting to find out but it won't be an open class Honda like the one I'm riding this year, that's guaranteed."
What's the realistic target for next year?
"On the worst-case scenario factory bike you can still win races or get on the podium, but that depends on how good the future factory bikes are. If I get a factory bike I would like to make top five, be consistent and try and throw it on the podium a few times. That would be my target."
Who got their elbow down first, you or Marc Marquez?
"I did it in Moto2, second year, but the next thing is the shoulder! Did you see that image of Marc? I sent him a text saying "how the f**k did you save that?" and he said "I was 100 per cent on the limit." The peg was on the floor, which means the bike is lifting up. He said that as he was lent on his arm, when he touched the throttle the bike pulled itself up. He didn't do it on purpose..."