"Brookes said sh*t about me, tried to get in my head" - Scott Redding

Scott Redding opens up on his occasionally bitter rivalry with PBM Ducati team-mate Josh Brookes during the 2019 BSB title fight

Scott Redding - Josh Brookes [credit: Ian Hopgood]

British Superbike Champion Scott Redding has opened up on his inter-team rivalry with Josh Brookes as they battled it out for the 2019 BSB title.

Ex-MotoGP rider Redding swept to the BSB crown in his first season aboard the Be Wiser Paul Bird Motorsport Ducati, prevailing over more experienced team-mate Brookes in a final round showdown at Brands Hatch.

Winning 11 races to Brookes’ ten, Redding battled hard over the season but maintained a stoic relationship with one another in pursuit of the title.

Now, with the Briton swapping BSB for a move into the WorldSBK Championship this season, Redding has given an insight into the tense partnership, claiming the Australian ‘talked shit’ about him, but adding he is ‘not a bad guy’.

"We all know what Josh is like," Redding told Speedweek. “He's not a bad guy, but he has a crazy attitude about how he talks about or concerns things.

“He tried to get into my head a couple of times. But I told him from the beginning that he would have to be better if he wanted to play with me.

“I came to BSB to win the title - and I did. Josh is okay. He said shit about me and I about him, but that's how it was. When I won the title, he congratulated me - which I didn't expect him to do. So I wish him luck for the future.”

Reflecting on his time in BSB, Redding admits he was shocked at the skill required to adapt to an electronics-free Superbike after more several seasons in MotoGP.

"Switching from the MotoGP World Championship to a class with zero electronics was a bit of a shock to me. You can only learn by taking more risks. If you do, the risk of falling increases because you have no electronics. If you sit on a motorcycle with electronics, then you know that there is a safety margin.

“If your rear wheel slips, you have a 50 percent higher chance of preventing the fall than without. It's about trust in the motorcycle.”

Scott Redding vs Josh Brookes – Frenemies

Never one to shy away from saying it like it is, Redding’s comments on Brookes might look abrasive but they’re perhaps a bit misleading.

So long the foe of PBM – and particularly Shane Byrne – over the years, Brookes came under Paul Bird’s wing for 2019 but ended up finding his biggest rival standing next to him in the garage. Moreover, it was a rival that ensured he was excellent value for the series and carved out the image of being the people’s champion.

However, Brookes has always had a hard time coming across effectively and has admitted on several occasions he doesn’t feel compelled to be a showman, instead preferring to keep his head down and focus on the riding.

As such, he was quite relieved to have Redding alongside him to drag the spotlight away from him, even if this may have come across as Brookes being aloof and uncooperative – or as Redding puts it, trying to get into his head.

While Brookes heads into the 2020 BSB season as the big favourite in the absence of Redding, he may actually miss having the opportunity to readdress the balance.