Britain’s Scott Redding has said he has lost out on a lot of potentially-good MotoGP rides while waiting for the Gresini and Honda situation to be sorted out as he was honouring a contract that said he would get a Factory RC213V in 2015.
Speaking at Misano, the Gloucestershire rider didn’t name names but alluded to LCR’s move to sign Cal Crutchlow and he also said he would have to shell out €400,000 in order to get out of the contract he has with Fausto Gresini.
Redding says he feels like he has been sidelined with Honda not really wanting him but also not wanting him to go anywhere else either. ‘Like an ugly duckling,’ is how the youngster put it. Redding has other deals on the table, including one from Ducati, and now he must wait to see if his old MarcVDS team can raise the cash to rent the RC213V. Boss Michael Bartholemy told bikesportnews.com that this weekend should be crunch time.
“It’s a big decision. I am 21, the same age as Marc and we are in two different positions but in the end we need to be in the same place. I am scared to make the wrong choice. I don’t want to step on the wrong people’s toes but I don’t want to be treated the wrong way. I want to be respected as a rider that can be competitive,” said Redding at the track.
“I have a feeling that in many areas, people don’t have that last bit of trust in me. Maybe he can do it, maybe he can’t, not like, ‘We believe this guy can do it,’ and it’s difficult to accept that.
“This is why, for the moment, we are waiting. On the outside, people are showing they do want me but on the inside, it’s a different story. This is what I find difficult. I think with a Factory bike I could finish top five in the first race. I am not going there to finish eighth.
“Obviously, my manager will help me make the decision. I have to talk to people that know me and know the sport but who see it from a different angle. I get the final say but it’s nice to have the confidence in people around me. I need to find the right way.
“I want a Factory Honda and this is in my contract. I was told one year on the Open bike, get the results, and then a Factory bike. I am out-qualifying my team-mate every other race and now faster than other Open Hondas. Where’s the problem? I want to win and that’s what I need to do it, you can’t do it on underpowered machinery.
“For me when I see Jack (Miller) coming from Moto3 to an Open bike, which will be more competitive next year, I feel like I am the ugly duckling and a little bit on the side. I feels like they don’t want me, but don’t want to give me away. At the moment it’s hard and it’s a big decision.
“Everyone knows Gresini will not have a Factory Honda next year and my contract says a Factory Honda. We all know they are going to have Aprilia. Ideally, I should be able to go somewhere else, and I can if I pay €400,000 and I don’t have that. I have lost some really good deals as I respected the contract but then they signed another rider, so now I am on the sidelines. I am a little bit disappointed.”
