MotoGP: Redding out with a point to prove at home

It’s been a difficult start to the 2017 season for Scott Redding on the Pramac Ducati, fighting to get the best out of the bike and seemingly suffering one step back every time he takes two forward.

But while many might see that as leaving him in a tough position to change his fortunes come Silverstone, he’s determined that the extra fan boost that he gets from racing in front of a home crowd will be enough to turn around his luck and show exactly what he’s capable of for the first time this season.

“It’s not pressure that I feel at Silverstone – it’s motivation. It’s like a boxer going into a fight knowing they’re going to win. I get that feeling at Silverstone – I know I can make a good result there even before I arrive. Last year was the first time it ever went wrong for me, so there’s no reason we can’t get back to normal this year.

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“It’s your home crowd – you have to use it to your advantage, not the opposite. 99% of the people there are cheering for you, and so much of my following has been built from going well there. I feel like I’ve been the person most likely to make their day there; they want a British rider on the podium, and I have most of the time delivered that, especially when I won in Moto2.”

And after a difficult year last year – when a red flag and a wrong tyre choice cost him the chance to fight for a podium – he says that he’s even more motivated than ever before as he sets out to make amends.

“It’ll be interesting to go to Silverstone after having a bad result there for the first time ever last year. Last year doesn’t mean too much, because in the nine years that I’ve went there, one bad day doesn’t mean too much – I can let it slide! But I was strong last year and strong in the race, only we changed the tyre after the restart and it was the wrong choice. I ended up crashing twice in the race, which is more than I normally crash all weekend!

“There’ll be no pressure for me though. I’ve got potential, but we’ve been struggling a lot, so there’s going to be no pressure from people – even though I quite like to have people thinking that I can do it. It’s always nice being there, and I enjoy being in front of home fans – but results wise I have no fucking idea!”

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