Forget knees and elbows, Scott Redding used what could be his final MotoGP appearance at the tight and twisty Sachsenring to♈ tick off one of his remaining goals… to drag his helmet on the asphalt through a corner!

The Englishman briefly achieved the feat on an Open class Honda in 2014, but made it happen on his facto♒ry Aprilia i✃n Germany during Sunday morning warm-up.

"I nailed it!" he grinned.

"[I've been planning it] a long time! I did it in Valencia, but it was onl💝y a little touch. That 🐻was on a soft tyre with a small bike, so that was cheating.

"So I thought, f**k thi🍬s, I need to do it before I leave the paddock this year, I 🦩need to get it down.

"I've been trying to d♈o it all weekend and I'm like, 'COME ON!' 

"I said to the photographer, 'get in that🦩 corner, because it's happening'.

"I went in, and I leant more, and I ✤thought, 'f**king hell,🌠 where is it?!' Then 'krrcchhh'.

"There it is. Nai🏅led it! Mi🐟ssion accomplished this morning."

Redding went on to finish 15th in the ra💫ce, despite the exhaust of his RS-GP burning his ankle.

"I had the same in Texas, but w꧅ith the long straight, it's normal. I didn🙈't expect it here. After eight [of 30] laps, I could feel it burning and I was thinking, 'OK, whatever, burn me, I don't care'.

"The race was OK. I made a really good start. I useဣd the hard front and needed a few laps to get some grip on it, but then I managed to settle. I was staying with Tito and a lot faster in some areas and he was having a bit more drive in other areas.

"It was sim𝔍ilar to Barcelona when I was with Pol: I could stay there, but I can never really go for an attack. So that🧸 was it, and then I was trying to save my tyre, because I knew it was going to drop,  but it just wasn't enough.

"With 6 laps to go, and especially the last 3-4 laps it just went out the door. I couldn't do anytꦇhing. It was like there was no tyre on the rim."

But despite the ankle pain and tyre woes, with the pressure to keep his ride now gone, Redding – who is weighing up a switch to World Superbike alongsideꦗ Aprilia test riding duties - is enjoying himself once again.

"I'm havin𓆉g a whale of a time," he smiled. "I'm actually really enjoying coming t🥀o the races.

"Really built a lot with the team, because I'm much more re🧸laxed,♌ they then become more relaxed.

"I can be myself, I joke aroun꧟d and I ♎found myself again.

"Also with the riding, I found a bit more motivation inside me, because I'm e🔴njoying it. I want to be here. In Mugello I ♔didn't want it.

"Don't misunderst𓄧and me, we're still working, because we come here to do a job, so I need to say, 'this is better' or 'that is better'.

"So it's just pl♔aying around and trying to improve, but without the stress of𓆉 'I want this' or 'I want that'.

"F*🌊*k, just leave it, it doesn't matter. The bike is OK, it's just the t♚yre drops. And that's how it will be for me for the rest of the season.

"I'm enjoying going out there. It's not like I have to do it, it's because I want to do it."

Reddi🌸ng added: "There's no pressure now. So if I'm first or if I'm last, I don't care.

"If I finish last every session, what are they going to do? If they want to fire me, fine, I'm already not here ne🗹xt𒅌 year.

"But t💫hat's not my case💛, I do it for me now, for enjoyment.

"I had two umbrella gi🎶rls on the grid, that's the style, 🍸old school, that's how it should be.

"Everyone's having a laughꩲ in the hospitality. It's so much nicer to 🍌be here.

"On the ot⛄her side, it's coming to the end of a MotoGP career for me aꩵt this stage.

"But I've been here ten years, so i🐻f this is the ♐last year, I need to enjoy it.

"That's what we're doing."

Team-mate Aleix Es🅰pargaro missed the race afte🥀r being injured in warm-up.

Andrea Iannone will 🌸replꦇace Redding at Aprilia next year.