Scott Redding heads to Silverstone this weekend looking for his first win at home since his historic victory in the 2008 British 125cc Grand Prix.
After taking his first Moto2 win last weekend at Brno, Mika Kallio arrives in England on a wave of confidence and determined to deny his Marc VDS teammate a victory in front of his home crowd.
Heading into his home race with a commanding 21-point lead at the top of the Moto2 World Championship standings, Redding carries the weight of British expectation on his shoulders this weekend, but he remains unperturbed. For the 20-year-old Briton the support he receives at home just adds to his motivation, making him even more determined to give the home crowd exactly what they want on Sunday at Silverstone; a British rider on the podium, preferably the top step.
Kallio is also a former British Grand Prix winner; having stood on the top step of the 250cc podium the same year his Marc VDS teammate took victory in the 125cc race. It was to be the 30-year-old Finn’s last win for five years, with his next coming just days ago in the Czech Republic. The Brno win saw Kallio move up to fourth place in the championship standings and he goes into the Silverstone weekend with his sights set firmly on third placed Tito Rabat, who he now trails by just seven points.
Scott Redding #45:
“Silverstone is always a bit special for me. When I head out on track and see all the flags and banners in the grandstands I get goose bumps. The support of the British fans is just immense. My focus is very much on the championship now, meaning I have to balance defending my lead against risking all for a win, but if there’s even a sniff of the top step of the podium this weekend, there’s no way I’ll be able to resist giving it a go. After all the support I’ve been given in recent years, my only goal this weekend is to give the British fans something to cheer about on Sunday.”
Mika Kallio #36:
“In the past Silverstone hasn’t been one of my strongest tracks on the Moto2 bike, but the win at Brno means I go into this race with more confidence than in previous years and that counts for a lot. We tried a new approach to practice and qualifying the last two races and it worked really well, so we’ll continue in the same way at Silverstone this weekend. I know it’s Scott’s home race and he’d like nothing better than to stand on the top step of the podium, but I’ve also got a taste for it after the win at Brno. A result this weekend like at Le Mans, where we finished first and second, would be great for the team, but obviously this time with the positions reversed!”
Marc VDS Racing Team Press Release
