Scott Redding explains how ‘money’ made the difference for Marc Marquez after he beat him at 125cc level

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Scott Redding says he wouldn’t change anything about his motorcycle racing career. He showed real promise in the junior categories, but never managed to win a MotoGP race.

Redding finished as the runner-up in the 2013 Moto2 championship behind Pol Espargaro. That earned him a ride on the Gresini-Honda in the premier class.

He would switch teams a further three times before 2018, scoring a couple of podiums without cracking the top 10 in the championship. Redding then returned to his homeland to compete in British Superbikes before stepping up to the global equivalent in 2020.

Speaking on the Motorsport Repubblica podcast earlier this year, Redding, a 12-time winner at WSBK level, reflected on his battles with Marc Marquez as a junior and their vastly different career trajectories.

Scott Redding says he ‘had nothing’ compared to Marc Marquez

Redding points out that he beat Marquez during their first season together in Grand Prix racing. He ranked 11th on the 125cc machinery in 2008, two places and 42 points ahead.

But as time passed, Marquez started to feel the benefit of factory support from KTM, as well as commercial backing from energy drink manufacturers Red Bull and energy company Repsol.

Marquez was being crafted into a MotoGP rider, whereas Redding’s management weren’t able to cultivate his image. He preferred to break the rules.

The Gloucestershire-born rider, who’s the same age as Marquez, reached the top level a year later. But by that point, the Spaniard had already won the championship as a rookie and become a superstar.

“We grew up racing each other,” Redding recalled. “I spent a lot of time beating him in the lower rankings on 125s, Spanish championship, first year in GP.

“He had a lot of money, backing from Red Bull and Repsol. I basically had nothing. He went into a factory KTM team, which was built for him, and that followed him the whole way through his career.

“I had a management that didn’t really know the sport [in terms] of knowing what we should be doing, what I should be saying, how I should be dressing.

“I was the wild child. I was not the guy who was obeying rules. For me, rules were to be broken.

“You see how it changed our careers. I believe if I had it a bit different, my career would have turned out different, but I wouldn’t change it for a second.”

Why Scott Redding respects Francesco Bagnaia’s treatment of Marc Marquez

Redding texted Marquez after he joined Ducati, telling him he’d ‘absolutely love it’ at Borgo Panigale. The former has spent most of his WSBK career on Desmosedici machinery.

After a year at Gresini, Marquez ascended to the factory team, where he’s returned to the dominant heights of the late 2010s. The anticipated rivalry with Francesco Bagnaia hasn’t materialised because the Italian can’t get close enough.

One could argue that the strong relationship between Bagnaia and Marquez stems from the scarcity of direct competition on track. There would surely be tension if they were going for the title.

Still, Redding has a lot of respect for Bagnaia, who has told his fans on multiple occasions not to boo Marquez. That marks him out from his friend Valentino Rossi, who allegedly ‘could have stopped’ the hostility towards the Ant of Cervera.