Redding: ‘We need to work a bit extra, could not show the full potential’

Scott Redding has, not for the first time this season, claimed BMW needs more after another disappointing showing at the San Juan WorldSBK round.
Scott Redding, BMW WorldSBK San Juan
Scott Redding, BMW WorldSBK San Juan

The 2020 WorldSBK runner-up initially started the first of two race-days in San Juan with an impressive P5 performance in Superpole qualifying, before going on to take seventh in Race One. 

However, the German manufacturer was unable to extract the same type of consistent performance to that of Ducati, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Honda, while things were made tougher for Redding in the Superpole race when setting changes backfired along with using the harder SC0 Pirelli tyre which failed to deliver the intended result. 

Redding finished the Superpole race down in 14th before making his way up to ninth in Race Two.

Redding said: "The weekend in general was up and down. We tried to learn some things with the bike, with the setting, but it turned out that it was not better, so for the final race we went back to what we know and the feeling came a bit better. 

"It was a shame because normally I am quite fast here and I could not really show the full potential in the races. 

"In the Superpole race, we had to use the SC0 rear tyre which was not used by everyone else on the SCX. In the afternoon, we made some changes so I could use the X tyre. 

"I was feeling quite good with the bike but we ran into some brake issues and then I started to struggle. 

"So all in all I’m happy to come from the weekend on a positive note but we need to work a bit more for the next round.”

Van Der Mark blames overtaking issues for tough WorldSBK Race Two at San Juan

Leandro Mercado and Michael van der Mark, Argentinian WorldSBK, 23 October
Leandro Mercado and Michael van der Mark, Argentinian WorldSBK, 23 October

Two places behind Redding in the third and final race of the weekend was team-mate Michael Van Der Mark, who alluded to struggles with making passes in the Superpole Race as the reason for starting and finishing in 11th. 

"The Superpole race was alright. I felt okay, I just could not get past some other guys and ended up P11, so no improvement on the starting grid for race two," added the Dutchman. 

"In the second race, my start was okay but got stopped in the first couple of corners. We set a quite good pace but I just did not have enough to get close to the guys in front of me and try to pass them. 

"The pace was alright this weekend, we improved quite a lot with the set-up also and I am feeling better and better on the bike. I am feeling how the bike is coming back. 

"So obviously it is not the position we want to finish in but from my side, we had a solid weekend and I think we have improved the bike so I am quite happy."

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