Scott Redding described his year in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship as 'emotional' after he took the crown at the first time of asking by five points at Brands Hatch.

The former MotoGP star, who last won a championship as a nipper back in 2005, only had to get a top-five finish yesterday to take the title and it came to pass as he followed Tommy Bridewell across the line to take third place.

“I’ve had a lot of emotion – super happy, super proud and it is good to pay back everyone who has supported me through all my years in GP and my first year here in BSB," said Redding, speaking at the track.
 
A lot of people doubted I could win the championship in my first year, I knew deep inside I could do it even though I broke my femur one month before the first test of the year, I didn’t let it hold me back."

Redding suffered a broken leg right at the start of the year when he fell from a pitbike while training in Spain. He mostly kept it quiet but there was some surprise when he turned up at the first test and was able to cycle the track and ride at a good pace.
 
“I had a tough season, a great season. The feeling to cross the line knowing that you did it. It didn’t really sink in until I got half way round the lap. I was like ‘you’ve done it, it was just one race’. That was the hard bit.
 
“It was my own doing to make a mistake, I was thinking the whole race ‘don’t make the mistake, don’t make the mistake’, so a big thank you to the PBM Be Wiser Ducati team, big thank you to my management, my family, my fans.
 
“The BSB Championship has been amazing, they’ve brought a lot of passion back into racing and I’ve had so much fun this year on and off track.”

Redding' attention now switches to the WorldSBK championship where he will test the works Panigale V4R at Valencia tomorrow. It is believed he will take crew chief Giovanni Crupi with him.