Scott Redding, once a fierce rival of Marc Marquez in their teenage racing days, has opened up about the impact of financial and managerial support on shaping elite racing careers.
Now a regular in the World Superbike Championship, Redding looked back at his early days in the sport and how, despite frequently outperforming Marquez in their 125cc battles, their paths quickly diverged.
“We grew up racing each other. I spent a lot of time beating him on 125ccs,” Redding told the Motorsport Republica podcast. “But then he had a lot of money and backing from Red Bull and Repsol, and I had basically nothing.”
Redding recalled that while Marquez joined a factory KTM team tailored to his development, he himself was navigating the sport without proper guidance.
“I had a management who didn’t know the sport — what I should be saying, doing, what I should be wearing. I was the wild child, I wasn’t obeying rules. For me, rules are to be broken. That’s how I looked at it, that’s why I have the personality that I have,” he said.
Despite the contrast in career trajectories, Redding said he wouldn’t change his journey: “You see how it changed our careers. If I had it different, my career would have turned out differently. But I wouldn’t change it because it has made me who I am today.”
Redding made history in 2008 by becoming the youngest ever grand prix winner at the age of 15, winning the 125cc race at Donington Park with Marquez among the defeated.
While Redding moved on to Moto2, Marquez captured the 125cc title in 2010 and went on to become an eight-time world champion, with eyes on a potential ninth this season.
Redding competed in MotoGP across five seasons with Honda, Ducati, and Aprilia before making a successful switch to the British Superbike Championship, which he won in his debut year in 2019. He followed up with a strong run in WorldSBK, finishing third in 2021 on a Ducati. After a tough period with BMW, Redding is now finding his form again aboard a Ducati.
