Scott Redding explains what Glenn Irwin told him about PBM Ducati break-up

Scott Redding has shed light from his perspective on Glenn Irwin’s surprise split from PBM Ducati.

The British Superbike Championship team never officially confirmed their intended plan for when Irwin returned from injury.

Redding, initially a temporary replacement, was confirmed to stay for the rest of the season but PBM Ducati only had one bike.

That problem was solved in surprise fashion when Irwin and PBM Ducati abruptly split, and he joined Nitrous Competitions Racing on a Yamaha.

But Redding is the first voice to confirm the plan - at least, as he expected - for PBM Ducati to run two bikes.

“I expected to come here with Glenn,” Redding told TNT Sports at Thruxton last weekend.

“ Then I heard the news that Glenn was not going to be with me, but would be here.

“It was a bit of a shock to me, to be honest. But I am just doing what I can do…

“We still talk quite a lot. He said it’s nothing against me or him.

“Which is sound because I’d never want to take a ride from a guy who was injured, and I made that clear.

“But he wanted to come back, and he’s coming back!”

Glenn Irwin and Jordan Bird have their say on BSB split

The dispute that led to Irwin and PBM Ducati parting company centred on when he should return to racing after undergoing pelvic surgery.

A crash at Snetterton initially seemed like it would rule Irwin out long-term but he swiftly announced a plan to race soon, which his team disagreed with.

Jordan Bird told TNT Sports: “Unfortunately we just had a little bit of a disagreement between both parties.

“I felt more comfortable asking Glenn to wait a couple of rounds to return to full fitness, let’s say.

“My concern was him being fit to race competitively, and fit to crash.

“He saw that he was ready to go. We respected that. He decided it was time to go elsewhere. We support that decision.

“He has got to look after himself, his family and his future.

“Full focus for us is now on Scott.”

Irwin said while wearing Yamaha leathers: “It’s quite clear that, where I was, things weren’t ideal for anyone.

“I started to have a little look at what was going around. There was a joke about riding a Yamaha at Thruxton. I said ‘good one’ because it wasn’t in the pipeline.

“As things developed, every cloud has a silver lining. As it became clear I wouldn’t be racing with my original plans, this opportunity came to life.

“It is so, so refreshing.”

Redding won a race at Brands Hatch for PBM Ducati in Irwin’s absence.

Last weekend at Thruxton, he finished 11th, seventh and eighth at a track which Yamaha always enjoy more than Ducati.

Irwin, on his Yamaha debut and his first race round after surgery, was 16th, 15th and 17th.