The Independent - Bradley Smith Interview

Posted on Aug 27, 2015 by George Penny

"I didn't get a summer holiday, I chose to do the Suzuka 8-hour race, I'd much rather be racing than on a beach somewhere," says Bradley Smith after standing on the top step of the podium in Japan with team-mates Pol Espargaro and Katsuyuki Nakasuga.

He admits it would’ve been nice to have a few weeks off though as not having the break is starting to take its toll and he’s only just over half way through the MotoGP season. The project had been thrown upon Smith and the opportunity for him to win this achievement for Yamaha was too good to miss while contract negotiations were underway. Beating former MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner, who crashed his Honda on his fifth lap of the 8-hour race, Smith goes on to say that whilst the win felt good, it doesn’t compare to a MotoGP podium finish.

Going into the British Grand Prix this weekend, the Oxfordshire born, 24-year-old racer is in fifth place in the MotoGP championship standings and leading the satellite rankings after an impressive year which has seen him finish between fifth and eighth consistently. He has now announced after a long wait that he will renew his contract with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team for 2016.

Bradley was interviewed by Alan Smith, sports journalist for The Guardian last week in the build-up to the first race of the season in Qatar. Click the link to read how Bradley plans to be among the leading satellite riders and his long-term plan to reel in Márquez.

Read the full interview by Anouska Christy here: The Independent