Scott Redding gets edge grip boost in Jerez test

British rider Scott Redding is confident he has found a solution to the rear tyre edge grip troubles that left him struggling to match the pace of production Honda rivals Nicky Hayden and Hiroshi Aoyama in Argentina and Jerez.

The Gresini RCV1000R rider finished a post race test session in Jerez in 12th position, with a best lap of 1.40.276 putting him within 0.5s of fast improving Japanese rider Aoyama.

And the 2013 Moto2 runner-up is confident set-up modifications to his RCV1000R in scorching heat during the Jerez test will help him be more competitive in Le Mans next time out.

The 21-year-old told MCN: “It was a very useful test because I struggled a lot at the weekend. The race was better and the test was good, but what we found today (Monday) we could have done with on Friday or Saturday and I’ve had more of a chance. We tried some different braking systems for later on in the year, different rear shocks and different bike position to really try and find something.

The best thing we found was more rear edge grip. In the slow corners I am still missing a bit but in the corners with a bit of speed it felt much better. In the race when I was behind Nicky and Hiroshi I was losing so much and spinning while they were driving forward. I could see where I was losing the time and I had a bit of time behind Alvaro (Bautista) and he is on the same suspension (Showa) and he was having a similar problem. But with a smoother engine at the bottom it helped him, so Jerez it was a difficult track for both of us.”