Two questions remain as Scott Redding confirms BSB return to replace Glenn Irwin

Scott Redding has confirmed his return to British Superbike Championship action.

Redding will race for PBM Ducati - whose regular rider Glenn Irwin is injured - for the rest of the season.

Redding will race at Brands Hatch this weekend, so will miss the World Superbike Championship round in Hungary where he was due to represent Bonovo MGM Ducati.

Two questions remain as Scott Redding replaces Glenn Irwin

But major questions still exist.

Redding’s future with his WorldSBK team is unconfirmed. How Bonovo MGM Ducati go forwards in WorldSBK is yet to be clarified.

Tarran MacKenzie has been rumoured as a replacement for Redding in WorldSBK.

How the PBM Ducati BSB team will line up when Irwin recovers from injury is also yet to be confirmed.

It seems likely they will run two bikes and have Redding and Irwin as teammates.

Irwin required surgery after injuring a hip and his pelvis in a crash at Snetterton. But he insists that he will be back before the end of the BSB season.

But for now, PBM Ducati have Redding in Irwin’s place.

Redding also replaced Irwin in the last BSB round at Knockhill. Now he returns to Brands Hatch for the first time since his 2019 BSB winning season.

Redding said: “I am super happy to be back for the rest of the season in BSB. The reception I got at Knockhill was amazing and even at Donington Park; the amount of people who asked me about how it was at Knockhill and said what a good job I did in those conditions, was amazing.

“I think the most used phrase was ‘baptism of fire’, which I think was the correct word to use for it to be honest and I couldn’t put it in any better words myself if I tried!

“It was super interesting at Knockhill. To be back for the rest of the year, now I have had a spin out on the bike at Knockhill, I know the Hager PBM Ducati is a good bike and I know the team is very good.

“It was a great feeling to have to be back in the BSB paddock with a team that I know and are well respected and known throughout the years.

“It felt really good at Knockhill, so I am looking forward to going to Brands Hatch, it’s not one of the easier ones and will be always be a challenge there, jumping back on with no electronics again, but I knew this is what I signed up for and I can’t wait to get to work.

“Brands Hatch is a big round with all the fans, one of the biggest races on the calendar and I can’t wait to see them all again. I will be doing the best I can, being back on the podium would be super nice and I am just absolutely buzzing to get going. Maybe even a few wheelies for the fans!”

Joint Team Owner Jordan Bird said: “It’s great to have Scott confirmed for the remainder of the season. His outing at Knockhill threw everything at us, but as always Scott showed his class. We are looking forward to seeing how he can progress throughout the second half of the season.

“Glenn’s recovery has been going brilliantly; he is showing the strength and the resilience we all knew he had. We are really looking forward to getting him back as soon as he is fully fit and ready to be fighting at the front again.

“As always we must thank our incredible sponsors and supporting fans. This is a very exciting chapter for PBM and we look forward to putting on a show at Brands Hatch this weekend.”

When will Glenn Irwin return?

Irwin has surprisingly indicated he could back racing in BSB by August.

"Originally I feared that my season was done. Now I'm thinking, come back, then target a podium after that and target a win before the season is out,” he told BBC NI.

"Realistically I should be doing the last four or five meetings, which would be starting from Cadwell, but with how things are going and the speed of recovery I wouldn't rule out an earlier return.

"Thruxton is maybe a good one to come back for. It's quite a relaxed track to ride at but whatever one we do come back for it will be because we are medically fit, not just taking chances."

The Thruxton round in Hampshire is 8-10 August, and the Cadwell Park round in Lincolnshire is on 23-25 August.