Misano challenge imminent for confident Tech3 duo
Posted on Sep 08, 2015 by Monster Yamaha Tech 3
The meandering 4.2 kilometre Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is the next round for Monster Yamaha Tech3 team mates Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro who will both intend to power to glory as the leading satellite bikes under the Italian sun. Having endured a challenging and wet Silverstone weekend, the two riders head to the GP of San Marino full of optimism and ready for the fight at the 13th event of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship. The circuit, which features six left and ten right corners, has held some highly exciting battles in the past and will offer the perfect conditions for another entertaining spectacle this weekend with the track having been resurfaced earlier in the year.
Bradley Smith will be seeking to extend his impressive run by following up his hard fought 7th place result at his home Grand Prix with another competitive showing at Misano in order to stretch his record of completing every race no lower than 8th this season. The 24 year old British rider is currently leading the satellite MotoGP standings and will intend to consolidate his points tally by meeting the chequered flag inside the top six.
Bradley Smith: – Championship: 6th – Points: 115
“Next up for the MotoGP paddock is Misano, which is a GP that I always really enjoy riding at and I am certain that we can conclude the weekend positively on Sunday. It was a bit of a tough race at Silverstone, but I gave my absolute all for my home fans and overall the finish was not too bad, plus the experience certainly has raised my confidence with riding in the wet. In the past, I have scored a few podiums at Misano in the 125cc class so I have some happy memories and these will spur me on to get a good result. Plus, I am only five points from Dovizioso in the championship standings, which makes me even more determined to push hard. The track has recently been resurfaced which is positive, yet we will start with a slight disadvantage as Ducati and a few other teams tested there recently. However, we will take everything step by step in order to clinch a solid grid position on Saturday after working on the best possible setup for Sunday as I want to be able to do a top job.”
Hervé Poncharal - Team Manager:
"Misano is our next destination and it's a favourite for a lot of people in MotoGP due to its beautiful location and scenery. However as we are there to race, so we can't take too much advantage of the surroundings, but we still hope to seize two more top results with Brad and Pol. Our English rider did a good job at his home event, even though it was tricky due to the weather, but he gave his all and was strong for the whole weekend. Now we are confident that he can repeat this pace in Misano and use it to battle in the front half of field. As for Pol, we were pleased with his level up until race day at Silverstone and it was really unfortunate that he fell. However, he made some significant improvements and this, together with the good results in the past at Misano, means that we can expect him to be gunning for a top finish, as close as possible to the factory bikes. It will surely be another interesting Grand Prix and we are ready for the challenge in front of the always excited crowd. "