BS – SAME INITIALS, SAME GOAL

It was 34 long years ago that the late Barry Sheene was the last solo motor cycle rider to win a World Championship for Britain. An Oxfordshire teenager with the same initials came close to matching the sporting legend’s record two seasons ago and next year will strive to join Sheene as a British World Champion.

In an emotional end to his 125 cc and Aspar career Smith won the final grand prix of this season at Valencia in brilliant style and finished fourth in the 2010 125 cc World Championship. The very next day the Oxfordshire teenager began the next big step of his career when he completed 90 laps of the Valencia circuit on the Tech 3 Moto 2 machine. Next season Smith joins the very competitive Moto2 class riding for the French –based Tech 3 team.

It’s a big step for Smith who is joined by former 125 cc World Champion Mike Di Meglio in the very experienced Tech 3 team. He can’t wait for the challenge.

“It’s the next step in my career and I can’t wait,” explained Smith.” It will not be easy switching from the two-stroke to four-stroke but I’m really up for the challenge. Of course I’m nervous but it should be fine especially riding for a team with so much experience at World Championship level. It was the right time to move and to get the opportunity with such a top team was perfect. The first 90 laps on the bike were awesome and so different from riding the 125.”

The start of a crucial season not only for Smith but British Motorcycle racing starts under the Qatar floodlights on March 20. It’s been a long tortuous route since the retirement of Barry Sheene but at last the door appears to have been opened by an Oxfordshire teenager with the same skill and ruthlessness that is the hallmark of a World Champion.

Bradley Smith records and milestones

Smith finished fourth in the 2010 125 cc World Championship riding for the Aspar team. He finished on the podium six times and won the final grand prix of the season in Valencia. He has secured three pole positions and 12 front row starts.

• Smith’s second place in the final championship standings in 2009 is the best performance across all solo classes of GP racing since Barry Sheene was second to Kenny Roberts in the 1978 500cc world championship.
• His second place finish in the 2009 championship is the best performance by a British rider in the 125cc class since Chas Mortimer was second to Kent Andersson in 1973.
• Bradley Smith finished on the podium nine times last year.  This is the highest number of podiums by a British rider across all solo classes since Phil Read had eight podium finishes in the 500cc class in 1975.
• It is also the highest number of podium finishes by a British rider in the 125cc class since Chas Mortimer finished on the podium ten times in 1972.
• Bradley Smith scored a total of 223.5 points during the 2009 season.  This is the highest number of Grand Prix points ever achieved by a British rider in a single season.
• At the Spanish GP last year Bradley Smith became the second youngest British rider to win a Grand Prix, after Scott Redding who won at Donington in 2008.
• His win in Spain was the first ever win at Jerez in any of the solo classes by a British rider.
• It was also the first win in the 125cc class in Spain by a British rider since Chas Mortimer (Yamaha) won at Jarama in 1973 which was also the last overseas win in the 125cc class by a British rider.
• His win at Mugello in Italy made him the first British rider to have two or more wins in a season across all the solo classes of Grand Prix racing since Barry Sheene in the 500cc class in 1979.
• The Mugello win made him the first British rider to have two or more 125cc GP wins in a single season since Barry Sheene in 1971.
• At the French GP in 2007 he became the youngest ever British rider to finish on the podium at that time.
• This was also the first podium in the 125cc class for a British rider since Robin Milton finished second at the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island in 1989.
• It was the first podium by a British rider in all classes of racing for over six years - since Jeremy McWilliams was 3rd in the 250cc race at the Pacific GP of 2001 at Motegi.
• In 2007 Bradley Smith was the first British rider since Clive Horton in 1978 to finish in the top ten in the 125cc world championship classification.
• Bradley Smith’s pole in Qatar in 2008 was the first in the 125cc class for a British rider since Chas Mortimer at the Belgium Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in 1972.
• This pole in Qatar also made Smith the youngest British rider to start a Grand Prix from pole position.
• Smith’s second place in the final championship standings in 2009 is the best performance across all solo classes of GP racing since Barry Sheene was second to Kenny Roberts in the 1978 500cc world championship.