ASBK Century for YRT's John Redding

Industry Profile | Yamaha Racing Team Owner

Raise the number with him and you will get a knowing smile, a slightly raised brow, and a short reply before the conversation returns to the job. That is JR in a nutshell. Round 100 does not feel wildly different to Round 1. There are freight schedules to hit, parts to chase, and people to coordinate. There are late phone calls, calm decisions made under pressure, and the small wins that rarely make a headline. Getting the bike built and rolled out on time. Helping a rider through a difficult weekend. Finding performance where it does not seem possible, without wasting time or money chasing the wrong solution. JR’s century is a celebration of commitment, the unglamorous, essential work that keeps a race program moving forward.

The story that leads to 100 rounds begins exactly where you would expect it to begin, on the tools. Born in Southampton, England, and raised in New Zealand, JR completed his apprenticeship as a motorcycle mechanic at Hutt Yamaha in Lower Hutt. While learning his trade he also raced, dabbling in motocross and road racing, developing a strong feel for what riders ask of a motorcycle and what the motorcycle can realistically give back. It taught him how performance feels from the saddle, and how it is created, protected, or lost in the workshop.

That mechanical grounding became the foundation for a career with multiple layers that blended naturally into each other: racing, distribution, development and team management. On paper those roles look different. In practice they share a common thread that JR brought to each of them: precision, and a relentless focus on doing the basics properly. 

By late 1977, JR had moved to Australia and was working with the Victorian Yamaha importer and distributor, Milledge Yamaha, as State Service and Warranty Manager. It was a role that built on his technical credibility and sharpened his understanding of the whole system, from product support and customer expectations to the realities of keeping motorcycles performing exactly the way the factory intended. His work opened doors to hands-on racing roles as well as chief mechanic duties with Dale Singleton Racing International across the USA and Europe and other senior industry positions that demanded equal parts technical confidence and commercial judgement. During that period, JR was on the tools as Dale Singleton won the 1981 Daytona 200, a landmark result that also marked Yamaha’s 10th consecutive Daytona victory. It’s a reminder of how deep JR’s racing experience runs, more remarkable when you consider Yamaha Motor Co. was only 26 years old in 1981. 

People close to JR point to his Milledge Yamaha years as a key building block in Yamaha’s racing story in Australia. Milledge Yamaha was a huge supporter of road racing and motocross, both in Victoria and nationally, and that helped to kick-start what would become Yamaha Motor Australia’s long-term involvement in racing through the Yamaha Racing Team.

JR’s journey on the road to 100 ASBK rounds really started to gather momentum at the end of 2004, when Yamaha Motor Australia made the call to strengthen its national road racing effort by bringing the operation in-house. JR was the obvious choice to take the reins of the newly formed team, charged with overseeing and delivering a factory-level presence on the ASBK grid. What followed was the creation of Yamaha Racing Team (YRT), built from scratch for the 2005 season, with team manager Kevin Marshall working alongside JR.

Ask JR about those early days and he will tell you it was not as romantic as some may think. It was infrastructure, systems, and the hard yards of setting standards. It meant recruiting the right people, building the right processes, assembling the right equipment, and establishing a reliable pipeline of parts and logistics so the team could operate at championship pace.

Despite the long hours, YRT did not take long to taste success. Jamie Stauffer’s back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007 cemented YRT as a genuine championship force in Australia. From that point, the team became a yardstick, professional, methodical and relentlessly competitive, and it stayed there through seasons that demanded constant adaptation. 

Looking back over 100 rounds, JR is quick to point out that it’s not all about winning. “There have been so many near misses at titles I’ve lost count,” he says. “That has been frustrating.” That is racing. The margins are thin, the variables are many, and the best prepared teams still need things to fall their way.

JR speaks with pride about the wins that happened beyond the main Superbike focus. While YRT has always been the flagship, he says there has been enormous satisfaction in supporting and cultivating winning riders across every class of ASBK. Development programs, parts support, technical guidance, and experienced people lending a hand at the right time can change a rider’s trajectory, and strengthen the sport at every level. 

Many in the Australian road racing family will tell you that what we have today would not exist in the same way without John's hard work and vision, and Yamaha’s support, especially in creating entry points that keep riders coming through.

Programs like the Yamaha YZF-R3 Cup, the Oceania Junior Cup, and developing kits for the 300 Supersport series have made road racing more accessible, providing an excellent entry point. Even years ago, the FZ6 Cup was an early and successful one-make series that John was behind.

Some of JR’s fondest memories come from periods where the pressure was a little less intense. He smiles when talking about Terry O’Neill’s FX series. “It was a lot of fun in the main,” he says. “There was less pressure and a lot of riding to be had.” It also became a happy hunting ground for Yamaha during those years, sometimes to the point where the biggest rivalry was internal. More than once, their riders were essentially racing each other.

Of course, racing is still about winning, and JR is honest about the occasions that mean the most. When the opposition has both a technical advantage and a cost imbalance, victories land differently. In those moments, winning is not just the result. It is proof of preparation, proof of problem-solving, and proof of execution when it counts. In a sport where resources matter, beating better resourced rivals delivers a particular kind of satisfaction. 

Over the 20-plus years of YRT’s existence, JR has also worked with his share of personalities. “I’ve worked with some interesting characters,” he says, “both riders and technical staff, and both keep me on my toes.” It is a reminder that race teams are not only machines, they are people, pressure, and the constant challenge of getting everyone pulling in the same direction.

YRT’s operating model mirrors JR’s preference for efficiency. Between events, the Brisbane base runs with a tight full-time crew focused on preparation and detail. When race week arrives, the team scales up with the extra hands needed trackside. Marshall drives the workshop and pit lane execution, while JR manages the business and operational side, including budgets, equipment flow, sponsor relationships, and the constant coordination that keeps a factory program moving.

In motorcycle racing terms, the job is like a hard enduro. You do not reach each checkpoint without being consistently sharp, disciplined, and dedicated to the task in front of you. JR is also the first to point out that 100 rounds is not a one-man achievement. “I certainly couldn’t have continued in this job without the support of people like Kev Marshall and Janice and Stewart Winton,” he says. “It has been a real team effort.”

There was something fitting about Phillip Island hosting the century. The Island rewards commitment and punishes hesitation. It is fast, flowing, and it demands total concentration. For all the history and success, JR remains humble and quietly spoken. He will tell you his role trackside is often closer to observer than ringmaster. For him, the milestone is about showing up, doing the work, and keeping the Yamaha effort moving forward.