Redding to test factory Ducati

Has he not watched MotoGP this year? To get noticed in MotoGP you have to be a consistent top 6 finisher to get the chance of getting picked up by a competitive factory, if the likes of Rossi and Hayden can't do it then what chance does he have?
He'll amble around on the Ducati for a season or two and then get dropped while those that stayed in Moto2 get quicker, win the championship or are a close 2nd/3rd leapfrog him straight onto a factory Honda or Yamaha.
Going from a competitive Moto2 team to an uncompetitive MotoGP team is a backward step in my opinion?

Posted: 31/07/2012 at 14:09

If I was any kind of decent MotoGP rider I would avoid Ducati like the plague. Unless I wanted to ruin my career working with stubborn Italians that is.

Posted: 31/07/2012 at 15:00

scotts inner voice - 'wow vale chose me for the test! thats so awsome!... oh. its on a ducati. thanks for that mate'

Posted: 31/07/2012 at 15:29

Can anyone actually see anyone actually WANTING to ride this bike???

Posted: 31/07/2012 at 15:39

Everyone seems to forget that this is a job for them, and that he'll get paid a lot more to ride in the premier class than he does in moto2. Salary, technical and personal sponsors will all increase in that premier class.

Besides, he's just going for a test, his ride on the ducati might impress another team, or perhaps he'll have the magic touch, something that hayden(not a great rider) and rossi(not a great rider any more) just don't have.

Who knows, would be stupid to turn it down though.

Posted: 31/07/2012 at 17:13

He's 15 KG too heavy to be competitive on any Moto2 bike, therefore he needs to be on a bigger bike in the MotoGP class! The Ducati may well suit his riding style and he's got more chance of getting noticed for other rides although they're very thin on the ground.

Posted: 31/07/2012 at 17:38

yeah anyone would take a factory ride for the money. Thats right, it is simply a business. You'd take it too, I bet you would if they knocked on your door.

Hes a good rider Redding. Ive seen him live a few times and i like his unique style. At siberia in Philip Island he takes a totally different line to all the other riders there and looks very quick and aggressive. He's probably the best rider to come out of england for a while. Crutchlow is proving a bit of an exception too. He certainly deserves to be where he is today.

Posted: 01/08/2012 at 06:29

Yes - it IS just a job.

But it's one he'd quite like to keep for a few years I'm sure. One year on a below par MGP ride could leave him grovelling all over the place for a ride the following season.

He's a kid, he has plenty of time, he still isn't consistently smashing the opposition in Moto2, he's not ready yet. When he steps up to dominate Moto2 he'll be able to have his pick of rides.

Posted: 01/08/2012 at 07:36

For a test, I think it's a wise thing to do. Signing up for a few years? Maybe not, having a sneak preview of the next GP12. The bike is known to have problems, but people also know, if they can win a few races, or at least perform reasonably well on it, then they'll certainly be in the minds of Honda, Yamaha and any other manufacturers that come to the table in the next few years. I think it'd be good for Scott. As pyndman said, his style is quite interesting, and he's starting to cut it with the front runners of Moto2 with a fairly big weight disadvantage, so perhaps others know how good he could be.

At the end of the day, it's never been a good bike. Someone asked Neil Spalding how many times Casey crashed on the Ducati, he replied with several times a lap. Arguably, it hit the peak in 2007, but more of that was to do with the tyre difference and Stoners ability than how good the bike was.

Posted: 01/08/2012 at 09:11

Why should he get a gp bike just because he's bigger than anyone else in moto2? What's his total number of race and championship wins at GP level? lol.

Same goes for Bradley in the race/championship wins department, they shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the 'top level of racing' - until they win a championship.

Nothing against british riders, but I'm just saying. Marco Simoncelli was too big for the 250's, didn't stop him though?

Posted: 01/08/2012 at 09:35

I get what you're saying Hugh, but it's just a test for Scott. Also, Marco was more lanky - yes, certainly bigger, but he didn't have as much weight. Scott is quite physically built up, so he's carrying over a Stone in weight on the other guys. That's quite a lot at this level of racing, to be fighting week in/week out at the top shows he's not so bad. It should also be noted that Stoner didn't particularly excel at 125/250 racing on the world stage, he's certainly at the top.

Bradley - I'm 50/50 on, but I'm weighted towards success. Moto2 has over 30 bikes, the bulk are on Kalex/Suter and FTR Chassis. Bradley is on a Tech3 chassis which, if being honest, doesn't exactly get a ton of development, even Tech3 admit this. Being that everyone is on the same engine, Chassis and Setup are the biggest factors for making time. So if the bike is really not that good, then Bradley is doing well and should do ok in GP. If the chassis really isn't that bad, then he's going to sink.

Whether or not he should be going to GP, or having a year in Moto2 on a properly sorted bike is still questionable though.

Posted: 01/08/2012 at 11:21

It is not as if Ducati are incapable of building winning bikes or for that matter a winning MotoGP bike. They are by far the smallest of the factories. If you look back through bnMotoGP, apart from Hinda, who also have had periods where they are incapable of winnign, even with good riders. Amazing really when you think how big HRC is, how much experience they have in all sorts of racing.
Ducati just make bikes, and IMHO took a complete wrong turn in 08 with the carbon chassis demanded by Stacey. Since then they have struggled to get back on track. As a small factory development parts will take longer and I'm sure because they are smaller they want any significant development to be a commercial opportunity as well. Audi may well be able to break that cycle. Clearly this is what they have done up until now. Racing development trickles doen into the production bikes. Cannot see how they can afford to do it differently. Hence their reluctance to do anything to make the GP12 competitive. I simply do not think (before Audi) they could afford to. It is also a formula that has worked very well in the past in WSB and from MotoGP to the Panigale.

The fact that they at least are innovative to look at the idea of running a junior squad is a good idea. Otherwise you can get the firework syndrome. One year here, one year there, MotoGP here we come. I reckon Ben Spies is party to that.
Better an under performing factory ride in MotoGP than an overperforming CRT WSB bike or 2 more years in moto2 waiting for an opportunity? Especially now that the number of satelite teams is being reduced.

Posted: 01/08/2012 at 20:17

I'd agree that perhaps the lack of parts is down to Ducati being a smaller operation. But, the rate the GP12 is being developed can be measured in geological time. Which is simply not good enough for a World Championship winning team. It simply isn't.

Yes, I understand that they've lost extremely valuable testing time for a variety of reasons. And that's fair enough. You look at the works M1 at the beginning of the season and the Tech 3 M1. They were pretty fucking close to each other. Now I'll put money on the fact that Jorge and Ben's bikes are a fair way in front of the bikes Cal and Dovi have. The GP12 that Barbera is riding is pretty much the bike they were given at Valencia last year!!

How can you possibly hope to keep pace, let alone challenge if you are trickling through new parts here and there?? In my opinion, you simply cannot.

I have to say, your comment about Stoner demanding a CF chassis is the first I've heard of this, not to say it's not correct. Wouldn't be the first time I've been surprised by something in Moto GP.

Also,when HRC were "not winning, even with big name riders", I recall there was some serious head banging went on and it was sorted out rather quickly. You only have to look back to 2010 to see that when they thought they'd not get an 800cc title, heads rolled and they pulled out ALL the stops. They didn't sit there promising new parts are coming every sodding week.

I do honestly appreciate that they are a small factory, and things will take longer due to cash restrictions. But, you cannot argue the point that winning races sells bikes. It's as simple as that. Ducati are in a very unique position, because they have a VERY loyal customer base. And always will have. And they've earned it. But IMHO they are in danger of a lot of people on the street walking down the road to the Aprilia dealer. The Panigale is a wonderful bike, truly a stunner. But, myself, and I know quite a few others that would simply rather have an RSV4.

I am with every other Brit bike fan in that I wish Redding all the luck in the world with it, who knows, he could be the one to make it work. He's VERY talented and a true fighter. I know it's also only a test, so maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Posted: 01/08/2012 at 22:41