Hot and not… At the Donington Park WorldSBK round America’s Garrett Gerloff certainly deserved the first description but would it be cruel to paint Scott Redding as the second?

And if he were manager, coach or psychiatrist what would our own James Whitham be saying to either rider as they head to Assen for the fourth round of a championship which is now looking more open than it did a week ago:

“I’d be saying to Gerloff keep enjoying yourself. I spoke to him a couple of times and he’s got a big beam on his face. He’s relishing learning circuits.

“You never hear him complaining about what the bike is or isn’t doing. He talks about the thrill of riding and getting used to living in Europe.  Remember I don’t know him that well but one of the things I thought was a bit weird but very refreshing was that he wanted to talk less about his motorbike and more about the fact that he’s found out that if you like hot and spicy - and being a Texan you like Texmex which you can’t get it in many places - but he’s found curry houses which satisfies his appetite for spicy foods. That tells me he’s happy and relishing his time here and in World Superbikes.

“It’s a lot more difficult when you’ve got the world on your shoulders, you’re in a factory team and things are expected of you. That’s the difference and what I would say about Scott is quite the opposite in that’s he is expecting himself, and the team are expecting, more of him.

‘And I’m certainly not saying that’s Scott’s fault. We all know how talented he is, and racing motorbikes is not down to one thing giving a rider confidence. It can be the circuit, the conditions, and things generally which give the rider confidence. But if just one of those aspects is out it will damage your confidence. And he didn’t look at all confident all weekend.

“What would I be saying to him? Well, first of all who am I to give advice to people who are now a lot, lot quicker than I am or was. It’s difficult to offer advice from outside the arena. But we all want Scott to recapture his form and be up there in the championship. And he always goes well when he’s got a smile on his face and is really enjoying it.  Perhaps it’s because he is going well, what comes first? I guess I’d just tell him try and enjoy it, relax and forget the pressure from the team and himself.

“But I know that is almost impossible to do. I remember when I was a rider on factory Suzukis there was a lot of pressure, you were expected to perform. They were paying you to perform. So, it is quite difficult to enjoy it when you’re not getting the results that both you and the team are expecting.

‘So, I’d just be saying, look you have got the talent so try to enjoy what you’re doing. Scott is at his fastest when he is carefree which we saw when he was winning in BSB. He was fantastic, the happiest bloke in the paddock.

“I chatted with him a couple of times at Donington and they’re struggling to find answers which is not giving him the confidence to go as fast as he could. But after a couple of disasters, he made up a lot of ground from a bad grid position in the last race and was narrowly pipped for a podium position by Tom Sykes.”

Gerloff looks like he is in the enviable position of choosing to stay with Yamaha in Superbikes or switch to MotoGP for next season. Which should he do?

I don’t think Garrett Gerloff has ever had any qualms about saying that coming to Europe was to be in MotoGP. That’s his endgame. And I don’t blame him. MotoGP deals don’t come along so often so you must think seriously if you get one offered.

“It’s alright saying I’m not ready or it’s not the right bike and that can be a factor.  But thinking you can wait may mean if your form takes a downward turn or whatever isn’t offered again. As Jonathan Rea once said, ‘The MotoGP train doesn’t stop at the station too often.’

“Finally, we’ve always said the nearest challengers to Jonathan will be Scott Redding and Toprak Razgatlioglu.  And I have been really impressed with Toprak who seems relaxed, happy, and exciting to watch. I won’t call him a breath of fresh air, but he is and it’s what the championship needs.

“Finally, finally a mention of something at Donington which really impressed me.  When Toprak’s bike clearly ran out of fuel on the last lap and just gets him across the line I would have been tempted to park the bike at the end of pit lane and walk back to the finish. But he didn’t and tried to get round for the ‘cool down’ lap.

“He’d already won the race, but it caused some team owners to look at the rule book and see if the five-minute rule applied. I was really pleased to see Alex Lowes and Lucas Mahias give him a hand to get back just in case it did.

‘As riders for rival teams it might have been in their interest to see him excluded in not getting back in time or under his own steam. But the race had finished That is sportsmanship which makes me quite proud to be involved in a sport where that would happen.”