Smith full of confidence ahead of the return to the Brickyard
Posted on Aug 04, 2015 by Monster Yamaha Tech 3
Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Bradley Smith looks optimistically towards the Indianapolis Grand Prix this weekend, where he will battle for a top result after the MotoGP summer break. Feeling confident after winning in the legendary Suzuka 8 Hour race for the Yamaha Factory Racing Team as they clinched a superb hat trick including pole position, the fastest race lap and the victory. This performance leaves him primed for a successful second half of the 2015 season and will look to battle as close as possible to the factory MotoGP bikes in America at the famous brickyard circuit.
Britain’s Bradley Smith undertook a highly successful run in the opening nine rounds and currently sits in joint 5th position in this year’s World Championship standings as he leads the MotoGP satellite battle by 21 points. The 24 year old rider will intend to improve on his result of 6th from last year, at the 10th race of the season.
Bradley Smith: – Championship: 6th – Points: 87
"It’s time to go back to work and jump on the Yamaha at the Indy circuit which is a track with such a huge amount of history and it’s always fun to go racing there. The summer break was great for me, although there wasn’t a lot of rest! Pol and I contested in the Suzuka 8 hour race which we were able to win after the special support from Yamaha. It was a dream come true, although not just to compete in it, but to also finish first! The whole thing really fills me with confidence for the second part of the year in MotoGP and I am certain that I can continue my strong form from the opening nine rounds where I finished no lower than 8th in all of the races. In my first year in the premier class, I completed this GP in 8th and then last year, 6th and I hope to go one step further this year! Our base setting has worked really well at all of the races so far, therefore hopefully we will have a good start and get everything ready for the main event on Sunday, even if it’s quite a tricky circuit to master. However, I am ready for the battle and can’t wait to speed over the bricks on my Yamaha in Indianapolis."
Hervé Poncharal - Team Manager:
"Next up is Indianapolis, a circuit that we all look forward to visiting. I’m sure that riding the famous oval on a MotoGP bike is an amazing feeling and the fans really do get excited about the event there. The summer break gave everyone in the team a chance to relax, unwind and get ready for the second half of the year. However, both Brad and Pol were in Japan and represented Yamaha at the Suzuka 8 Hour race. The result was fantastic for them and gave Yamaha their first victory in 19 years, so hopefully they can transfer some of that success over to MotoGP and get a great double result this weekend. Last year went well for Pol and Brad as we finished in 5th and 6th. The level of competition has risen this season, but both riders are intending to do the same and fight to be the leading satellite bike. We must all work together in order to give them the best package, but we are very confident that they can both have a good weekend in America before we head to Brno.”