New Pramac Ducati rider Scott Redding says 2016 will be a “make or break” year for his MotoGP career.
Redding debuted in the premier class in 2014 on an Open-specification Honda, before switching to the Marc VDS team the following year.
Despite scoring his maiden MotoGP podium at Misano, the British rider experienced a tough campaign on the team’s satellite Honda in 2015, ending the season just 13th in the standings.
“It is a make or break year,” said Redding, who has swapped Marc VDS for Pramac in 2016.
“To be honest I thought my career was all over last year because I did have a two-year deal with Honda and the team, but after Indianapolis if I carried on what I was doing it was going to be a short-lived career.
“I wasn’t going to allow that to happen, so I turned around to my team manager, who was also my personal manager at the time and said, “Sorry but I can’t take the risk of riding this bike next year.
“Honda have promised so many things to us, but what have we actually got…nothing.
“I couldn’t afford that again. That was when I decided to go to Ducati; I thought I’d take the risk as what was the worst that could happen?
“I’ll make the same results as I had that year.
“So for me it was positive all round, and so far it has proven to be the right choice!”
Redding says he feels revitalised on the new Ducati, after admitting that he questioned his own abilities last season.
“When you are not getting results it’s hard to stay motivated,” he added. “You can do it for a certain amount of time, but for a year it’s impossible.
“Then I lost belief in myself, I was struggling and I didn’t think I could do it.
“I was questioning whether it was me as a rider, then when I got on the Ducati I felt immediately better on the bike, my confidence started to grow.
“Then in Jerez when I was pretty fast, it boosted my confidence a lot and then also the same thing happened in Sepang.
“Every time I get on the bike I get mentally stronger and I have more self-belief that I can do it again.”
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