Redding: Not where we’d like to be but we’re making progress

Scott Redding says he has a firm direction for setup with his World Superbike-specification Ducati V4 R but concedes he’s still getting to grips with the differences from his British Superbike-specification Ducati.

The 2019 BSB champion moves up to World Superbikes next season with Aruba.it Racing Ducati, replacing Honda-bound Alvaro Bautista alongside Chaz Davies, and completed the two-day Jerez test with a total of 135 laps with a best time of 1m 39.466s.

Redding is focusing his winter testing on adapting to the Ducati V4 R equipped with full electronics as permitted in WorldSBK rules, compared to the single specification electronics in BSB, while also adjusting to Pirelli’s new tyres.

The former MotoGP rider feels clear progress has been found at the Jerez test but accepts he’ll need more time to be confidently up to speed.

“Today we tried to find a bit more rear grip, something that I’ve struggled with here at Jerez since yesterday, and thanks to the work of the guys in the team in the end we found something that helped a lot,” Redding said.

“We’re still not where we’d like to be but we’re making progress. As well as testing the new tyres brought by Pirelli, we managed to work a bit more with the electronics, which are totally new to me in Superbike.

“In general I was quite happy by the end of the test, it’s good to have that bonding between myself and the Panigale V4 R and know which direction to work in ready for the 2020 season.”

World Superbikes heads into its winter break with pre-season testing resuming in late January before Redding and the rest of the grid travels to Phillip Island for the official test which precedes the 2020 season opener at the Australian circuit.