Former BSB Champion and sixth-year WorldSBK rider Scott Redding says that Toprak Razgatlioglu’s success on the BMW M1000 RR in 2024 brought on him to doubt himself.
Redding, who moved from BMW to Ducati equipment over the winter after spending three seasons in World Superbike with the Bavarian model, mentioned that his struggles on the M1000 RR meant that he began to doubt himself, and indicated that Razgatlioglu’s arrival and fast success on the bike led to additional self-questioning.
“I’ve had three troublesome years and it’s by no means straightforward, you do begin to doubt your self,” Redding informed WorldSBK.com.
“Then Toprak [Razgatlioglu] got here and he did an important job with the bike and it’s like, ‘Possibly it’s me’. As a rider, should you begin to doubt your self, it’s most likely the largest enemy you can have.
“However then I believed I’ve had this up to now, and I’ve re-grouped. I really feel I can do extra, I’m simply not in a position to present it.
“To have these races, it simply fuels my hearth of believing in myself once more. In racing, that could be a large issue.”
Redding was capable of finding an instantaneous enchancment in outcomes on the opening spherical of the season in Australia, taking three top-five finishes though he was by no means in a position to clinch a podium.
“The primary spherical of the season, I used to be completely satisfied,” he mentioned.
“I actually wished a podium and I anticipated to get one once I was there. I’m trustworthy, I’m not going to say I didn’t.
“However to be there preventing once more, it actually bought that fireside burning in my abdomen that I can battle with these guys and be aggressive once more.
“The largest factor I took again was confidence after Australia. Preventing with the entrance guys is all the time completely different, it’s a special technique and racing. It’s one thing I wanted to brush up on my expertise slightly bit, studying once more within the race within the second.
“Additionally, being on the grid, pondering I may probably go on the rostrum is an entire completely different psychological sport. Then racing and battling with these guys was very nice.
“Overtaking Alvaro [Bautista] one time, overtaking Toprak, being on the again of Bulega and Iannone, it was an important feeling to be again in that space of racing and that’s what I race for.”
