Scott Redding chosen to make Bonovo BMW shift for 2024 WorldSBK
09/21/2023 03:26 AM
Scott Redding will be the rider to make way for the incoming Toprak Razgatlioglu at ROKiT BMW M Motorrad after it was confirmed he would make the shift to the sister Bonovo Racing team for the 2024 WorldSBK Championship.
The British rider, the WorldSBK runner-up in 2020 with Ducati, joined the factory BMW set-up operated by Shaun Muir Racing in 2022 but has enjoyed mixed success with the outfit since.
Though it has long been intimated that BMW would retain Redding for 2024, it was unclear whether he or Michael van der Mark would be chosen to stay with the ROKiT team alongside new star signing Razgatlioglu.
However, though Redding has largely out-performed van der Mark on account of the Dutchman suffering a litany of injuries since the start of the 2022 season, it is the more experienced rider that will stay put.
Nevertheless, a move to Bonovo Racing isn't necessarily a step back for Redding with forthcoming team-mate Garrett Gerloff producing the manufacturer's best performance of the year at the most recent Magny-Cours round after scoring a pole position and two top five finishes.
"Four great BMW Motorrad factory riders in our two strong BMW teams – with this new allocation, we are set up superbly for the WorldSBK season 2024," said BMW Motorrad Director Markus Schramm.
"Scott Redding is a great racer and we appreciate that he is staying true to our BMW Motorrad World Superbike project by bringing his skills to bear in the Bonovo Action BMW team. His experience, speed and expertise in particular, will be a key component as we optimise our collective goals together with Garrett Gerloff and the whole team.
"The addition of Toprak Razgatlioglu allows us to distribute our factory riders perfectly across our two competitive teams. Together with Michael van der Mark in the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, we have the ideal line-up for the overall project."
To help sweeten the deal, BMW has vowed to bring Bonovo Racing - which is partially headed by ex-WorldSBK rider Eugene Laverty - closer to the factory set-up to ensure what it calls 'four full works' bikes on the grid in 2024.
Redding's appointment means Loris Baz will be forced to find a new ride for 2024, with the Frenchman linked to Go Eleven and Motocorsa Ducati teams.
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