Bradley Smith

It has been an unfortunate preseason for the 125cc and Moto2 teams. The third and last day of testing at Jerez was again interrupted by rain. Of the eight days of testing at Cataluña, Valencia and Jerez, six have suffered abnormal conditions. The arrival of the rain this afternoon was at least useful for many riders to test their wet settings. The preseason is nearly finished with only one test to go at the end of this month, again in Jerez. Hopefully the sun will shine and the teams can work against the clock to be ready for the beginning of the Championship two weeks later.

Despite the rain the Bancaja riders left Jerez with good feelings after these three days  thanks to  the work completed today. Both riders used their time on the track differently today. Bradley was out from 12.00h to 14.30h, taking advantage of the few moments when the asphalt was partially dry. The British rider pushed his Aprilia to prove its engine response, and at the end of the session he was very satisfied with the power. The British rider and the Spaniard concluded their respective tests satisfactorily and they are both looking forward to arriving at the last test of the preseason, in two weeks.

Bradley Smith 1.57.386 (30 laps): "Under these difficult circumstances, today has not really been a satisfactory day of work because of the wet track. The most important thing is that we have done several tests to check the motor power and we are very satisfied. Regarding settings, we have not tested too many things but the few that we have tried were ok. So the balance of these three days is positive. In addition, we have set the path to follow for the next test in two weeks. The weather is restricting us a lot but we can’t do anything more. We will have to wait until the last test of the winter, when I hope we can leave ready for Qatar."

The best word to describe this second day in Jerez is "intermittent". Less heavy than yesterday, the rain fell intermittently throughout whole day, restricting again the amount of work the teams could do. The track started to dry at about 13.00 h,  due to the heavy overnight rain, but ten minutes later it began to spit again, making the riders come back to the boxes. The majority of the riders took advantage of the break to have lunch, returning to the action a little bit after 14.00h. The free 125cc session was run mainly in the dry, but the changeable weather made the track close again five minutes before time was up. So the work was limited and in general the riders did just a few laps.

Both Nico and Bradley started this second day half an hour later than the 12.00 h official start. The Spaniard tested his rear tyres and Bradley focused on finding the best feeling on the front end of his Aprilia. Bradley came to the conclusion that he had made a mistake choosing his work direction at the end of the session. Both of them did their best time in the morning combined session, but they were affected by the lack of time trying to test their respective changes. Nico and Bradley finished this second day in forth and five respectively but they are expecting to get a lot out of the last day and improve their times.

Bradley Smith 1.49.350 (51 laps): "Lamentably, with this weather is very difficult to find new solutions. Today we have had several problems with the front end of the bike. I do not know exactly why, but I had difficulties in maintaining my speed in the corners and I felt obliged to brake too much on my Aprilia. Now that the session has finished, we are going to analyze the work that we have been developing today and try to find the reason why we were not able to go faster. The weather forecast for tomorrow is for a sunny day so I am expecting to work intensely to find a solution and to ride faster".

Only two days after the finish of the test in Valencia, the 125cc and Moto2 riders have started testing again at the Jerez Circuit. The rain so far has been a constant of the preseason tests. Before arriving, the weather forecasts predicted ruthlessly rain and, basically this was what the riders found, in the early morning the riders had doubts about the possibility of any testing on this first day. The track had been flooded by the constant heavy rain since yesterday night and they had to wait until the early afternoon before there was any chance of starting.

 The Bancaja riders, Bradley Smith and Nico Terol, divided up their work in the same way. Both of them began at 14.40 h, just riding in the first test planned.  Both Bradley and Nico were the fastest in the combined session (125cc & Moto2) which finished at 15.50 h. Both of them did 20 laps and preferred to stop at that point and ride no more this afternoon. The British and the Spaniard used this first day of the Jerez test to reacquaint themselves with the track, hoping  tomorrow for the rain to die down. 

Bradley Smith 1.59.029 (20 laps): "We thought that the track was going to be flooded, but finally the rain stopped around the 13.00 h and we could ride a little. We did 20 laps, but the track was not in total wet conditions. Tomorrow, if possible, I would like to ride on a wet track to test some changes in case of rain in any race. This morning we have been the fastest and the sensations were very good so I am very happy. With only 20 laps you can not discover too many things but at least it was useful and we know that we are going in the right direction"

The road to Qatar is short and the risks were very high today, so Nico Terol and Bradley Smith have avoided riding on this final day, due to the bad track conditions caused by rain.

Yesterday progressed normally, but after five in the afternoon the wind increased and it started to rain and has continued to until early afternoon today. Because of this the last day of the first official test of the year has been affected by poor track conditions. This afternoon, it stopped raining and some riders began to ride. But not Bradley Smith and Nico Terol, who preferred to work in the pit box. Both Bancaja riders, coming off an excellent job on the first two days, have preferred to end the test early, to avoid any risk. They have an appointment at Jerez next weekend to continue working and continue with their excellent preseason testing.

Bradley Smith: "Today was a disappointing day because we could not ride. Towards the end of the day the weather conditions improved, but it was not worth taking any risks, there are still many days of testing before the season starts. In the two preceding days we have worked very well, obtaining valuable information for the following tests so I leave Valencia satisfied. I look forward to landing in Jerez and testing all the changes we have made, to see whether the improvements found in Valencia can work at another circuit. Hopefully we will have good weather next weekend to test with, but we will ride in wet to get a rhythm for the races."

For the second day, the lower and middle classes have ridden together at Cheste, and today it was the 125’s that finished on the track at five o'clock. Weather conditions have worsened slightly, but not for the eighth-litre candidates who didn’t stop filing tenths of the clock. The riders are more determined each day, but it is too early to speculate who is running the best, at present. Whatever the case, and if weather conditions allow them tomorrow and next weekend, we will begin to discover the fruits of all the hard work carried by all the teams.

Two riders who are working diligently at this first official test of the year are the Bancaja Aspar pairing of Nico Terol and Bradley Smith. Both of them have completed over sixty laps on the second day,  trying  different solutions of all kinds. Both testing chassis, engine and tyres, neither Bradley nor Nico have given up until they have found the keys that enable them to ride on the limit. Although some of the tests have been unsuccessful, both riders say that they feel happy and moving in the right direction. Proof of this is that both, Bradley and Nico have reduced by more than one second their times from the first day.  

Bradley Smith 1.40.975 (65 laps): "In the closing laps of today we have achieved a good time. Finally we found an optimal set up, and thanks to that I rode very comfortably, and I was ready to push a hundred percent . This afternoon the weather conditions have got a little bit worse and the track temperature has dropped, which has made it more difficult to continue with the good feelings. Nevertheless, I am very happy with the work done on the second day. Today we worked mainly with a new configuration of chassis, which affects only the rear. It seems that with it, the Aprilia has much more stability, and so it gets out of the corners faster. Tomorrow we will continue working on the configuration and hope that the weather conditions will improve too. I'm very happy because after the first few days of practice, I have recovered the sensations of 2009, and I am beginning to be prepared for the season to come. "

The previous test, two weeks ago at Montmeló served has a ‘starter’ for the 2010 season , but the substance of this pre-season has begun today at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Cheste, in the first official tests of the year. This test brings together the majority of the contenders for the 125 category and a first look at who will be the favourites to be the Julian Simon successor.  The 125cc Riders are expected to have a busy week of testing because after these three days in Valencia, they will go directly to Jerez for three further days next weekend. Despite the wind, the sun was shining in Cheste and the teams could work conscientiously during the whole day.

Bancaja riders, Nico Terol and Bradley Smith, finished a full day of work which began at eleven o'clock in the morning. Both riders went with different directions of work but both of them finished their first day of testing in Cheste with very positive feelings. Bradley focused his efforts on trying to exploit the engine of his Aprilia to achieve a little bit more of power. Both Nico and Bradley were regularly setting best times and finished third and forth in the session respectively.

Bradley Smith 1.42.032 (68 laps):"I think that today has been a very successful day of work despite the wind. To be honest I am not worried at all about riding very fast, but to find good settings which help us to improve the bike. Today we have focused our efforts on achieving more power from the engine, testing several different settings. And certainly we have found some small improvements. I am very happy. Our plan for the three days is to work conscientiously on the bike for the first two days, if the weather holds It will be Wednesday when we will look to push hard and try to get good times. At this moment our efforts are focused on improving the bike as much as possible."

Nico Terol and Bradley Smith waited for the condition of the track to improve, concentrating most of their work in the afternoon.

The rain fell last night, cold and gray skies have kept the track wet long into this last day of the first test of the year. Because of the number of crashes suffered yesterday by several of the riders on the track, caution has been imposed. Most focused their efforts to the afternoon when the track had better conditions. It is too early to take unnecessary risks, and there are still nine more days of testing in Cheste and Jerez to come.

The Bancaja riders were less early risers than yesterday and did not take to the track until shortly before noon. The track conditions were still not ideal because of the wet and cold, so both Bradley and Nico used their time on the asphalt for testing tyres and set-up for the  wet and making small adjustments to their settings.  Later in the afternoon, with the track finally dry they mounted slicks, but the cold conditions continued so they did not want to take too many risks, expecting the next test in early March in Cheste to be more productive.

Bradley Smith 1.53.5 (48 laps): "This second day was very good, not so much for the times but for the attitude of working. I tried to do the most laps possible this morning on the wet track, and this afternoon on the almost dry track. It is clear that after so such a long time it is difficult to return to work, but today I'm really happy with all the small steps forward we have taken. Although the track conditions were still not great, I managed to ride a little faster and more consistently than yesterday. I also felt much more comfortable on the Aprilia. I think after today we found a good starting point for when we return here in the grand prix, and that was one of my goals. It is reason enough to be satisfied."

Although the cold winter is still making people talk in Spain, the moto2 and 125 category riders have met up again yesterday at the Cataluña Circuit to begin the 2010 season. Yesterday was a difficult day, in these three days of testing, because it was raining and cold and most of the teams chose to work inside their pit boxes. Today, the weather has remained cold, with 15º the highest temperature, but the riders could go out to the track thanks to the shining sun. The earliest riders began around 10am despite the track being open from 9 to 13 and from 14 to 17 h. The day was filled with crashes, due to the icy track.

Fortunately, the Bancaja riders ignored the crashes and managed to ride throughout the whole day without any incidents. Both of them used the day to get the stiffness out of their muscles and reacquaint themselves with their grand prix bikes. Nico and Bradley worked on a very similar work schedule, consisting of testing only chassis configurations, dividing the day into short periods. The objective was nothing more than to gain confidence on their Aprilia RSA. The rider from Alcoy was the fastest of thee two, setting his best time – 1.53.18- in the lap 37 of 49. On the other side, Bradley rode consistently in the low 54’s and finished the day with a best time of 1.53.90, achieved nearly at the end of the test on lap 48 of 52.

Bradley Smith 1.53.90 (52 laps): “Today was a very positive day in which I enjoyed riding again. I was very pleased to meet my bike again , relive the sensations and the rise of adrenaline. Normally, my first day is complex. It took me a lot of time to get a good pace after so much time being quite, and this is not one of my favourite tracks. But it was fantastic to do so many laps on this first day. I think that the work schedule was correct and we improved a lot of aspects of the bike. It is clear that there is a lot of work to do but the most important is that we didn’t make any mistakes. We focused on enjoying the reunion and to carry out a progressive work schedule”

British MotoGP stars Bradley Smith and Scott Redding start their respective 2010 Championship campaigns with their first tests of the season at Barcelona in Spain this week.

Gloucester- based teenager Redding will ride his Marc VDS Moto2 machine for the first time on Wednesday round the 2.937 miles Circuit de Catalunya. Smith, who finished runner-up in last year’s 125 cc World Championship, will start his Championship campaign on Thursday riding the Bancaja Aprilia in a two day test.

It’s an important test for Redding, the youngest rider ever to win a grand prix, as he joins the new Moto2 600cc four-stroke class that replaces the 250 cc class. His campaign started well when he passed his driving test last week.

“I think I will really suit the Moto2 machine because I was getting too tall for the 125’s,” explained the 2008 125 cc British Grand Prix winner. ”I can’t wait to get started with the new team and on the new bike. I’ve worked really hard on my fitness in the winter and I just want to get going after all the uncertainty about who I would be riding for at the end of last season. I’m feeling very positive about 2010 after such a tough season last year.”

Nineteen year old Smith returns from training in the Californian sunshine to join his new team-mate Nico Terol in the two day test. Last year the Oxfordshire teenager won two grands prix and secured nine podium finishes on route to second place in the 125 cc World Championship.

 “Basically Barcelona will be a chance to get riding again, it’s going to be tough to get back in the swing of riding and so I will take it step by step,” said Smith, who will return to California to continue his training after the test. “I’m sure we will have some parts to test and it will be nice to start up the Aprilia and get back on track after three months.”

Britain’s third MotoGP rider Kent teenager Danny Webb will start his 125 cc Championship campaign with his new Spanish – based WRB team at the Valencia test in Spain on March 1.

The first grand prix of the season is under the Qatar floodlights on April 11.

Dom Rushton: Obviously all of us here in the UK were immensely proud at how well you did last season, but were you happy with what you achieved?

Bradley Smith: Yes, and no. As a racer you always want to win, but I suppose what you’ve got to be happy with is your performance. There were a lot of races where I was very happy with my performance, regardless of whether I won or lost. In the end I decided that I lost to the better man, and those bad results can only make me stronger in the future. Overall I am happy with what I achieved overall, but not 100%.

DR: What were the best and worst moments of last season for you?

BS: Definitely the best moment was winning at Jerez at the first European race of the season - it was a great victory. Also it was great to win a silver medal at the FIM awards after the Valencia race, as I don’t get to do those kind of events that often. The worst moment was crashing out at Donington just because I knew by then that my chance of winning the championship was pretty much gone unless something amazing would happen and radically improve my chances. I suppose though that you could say the crash at Donington improved my season as after that I only finished inside the top four for the rest of the year, and I also got six consecutive podiums. Overall there were positives and negatives, but flying into the gravel at Donington was a really bad time.

DR: It must been a tough choice not to move into Moto 2 for the coming season. What was behind this decision?

BS: It was probably a little bit of not knowing enough about Moto 2, as it’s a new class, and also being unsure about what projects I could get involved in. I was also pretty tentative about rushing into something which was quite new at the time, but the major factor was not having a bike available. Looking at the way I was riding in the 125’s at the time, I was hoping that there would have been some competitive teams looking for me who were able to offer a deal which I was happy with, but we tried and searched for options which ultimately just weren’t there back in October. I wanted to get into a project that was sorted but a lot of the teams were still not quite there at the time - it was a bit half and half to be honest. Probably the biggest factor was that I wanted to be World Champion in 125’s - this will be my last season and my last shot at getting the World Championship, so I really want to make it count.

DR: If you eventually do move up to Moto 2, do you think riding the new bike would be a big challenge for you?

BS: Self belief and self confidence tell me that I can get on any bike an be competitive, but whether I can jump on any bike and start winning races like I hope to in the 125’s remains to be seen. If I could get on a new bike and be finishing in the top six regularly and be competitive then I’d be pretty confident to ride that bike for as long as needed. But yeah, it would still be a challenge.

DR: How do you get on with the other Brits competing like Scott Redding?

BS: Having other British riders in the paddock is always nice. You have to stick together and it’s good to have someone to talk to. We’re also on the same flights a lot of the time so we’re sociable in the that sense, but when I’m there at the race meeting I’m there to work, not to mess around or to hold anybody's hand. At the end of the day, I’m there to do business and the only people I really speak to are my team, some PR guys and sometimes a few interviewers. But the other lads are great, and they’ve got the potential to do really well this season.

DR: A large part of your career was spent training at the Moto GP Academy opposite many other talented young riders. How fierce was the competition you faced?

BS: The competition was always difficult. Having five other guys train all the time with you and live with you in an apartment meant we were a really strong team though, and we’d always help each other whenever we could. But having a group of lads ranging from 14 to 18 years old always meant there was going to be some of that male rivalry so to speak!

DR: I’d expect that your favourite GP would be the British GP, but technically which track is your favourite?

BS: Mugello, because the track itself is constantly going up and down hills making it really good fun. The people are really enthusiastic and the crowd are just electric - because the track is in a valley you get people sitting and watching on hills all around the track making the atmosphere really great. The food is good and weather is always nice, and I also won there last year making it even better.

DR: Recently there’s been a decline in the number of British riders competing in Moto GP. Do you think this is due to a lack of interest in the UK in getting involved in racing at a professional level?

BS: The UK promotes the four stroke route generally we’re talking Superbikes and Supersport 600. A few weeks ago at World Superbikes testing we saw five Brits finish in the top six, so it’s not that we’ve not got the riders, it’s more that we’ve not got those riders in Moto GP, which is two stroke rather than four stroke. In Spain the main junior racing is all two stroke 125’s meaning that they’re probably better prepared for Moto GP than some of our riders are, this is probably why the quality of British Superbikes is so good and why we’ve had a lot of success in World Superbikes in the past with guys like James Toseland.

DR: What do you do to prepare yourself for each race?

BS: It basically revolves around a race week plan. Obviously this includes all the training which runs from Monday all the way to Sunday, but one of my own personal methods is to spend a few hours cycling around the track on a Thursday - this means I can get to check out the track in closer detail and it also gives me a chance to look at some of the scenery which you often miss when you’re flying round at 150mph - it gives me a chance to look more in depth at things.  Another thing is trying to visualize the track -  I imagine the track in my head and see how close I can get to the actual lap time while timing it. This helps me get in tune mentally to the track. And as I said, the most important thing for me is the routine - I get my leathers on at this time, I warm up at that time, I stretch at this time and so on. Everything is a routine for me - as soon as I get that helmet on my body knows it’s ready to race.

DR: You’ve recently done some work with Capcom producing the new Moto GP game. Are you a gamer yourself?

BS: Let’s not say gamer, as that would probably be disrespectful to the gaming industry! But yeah, I’m a huge fan of any games to do with bikes and motorsport games in general - especially when I get to ride all the tracks I race on in real life on the Xbox - it’s pretty cool.

DR: What was it like seeing your virtual self on screen?

BS: Very strange, but fun! I felt proud as well, because I grew up playing Moto GP games and I always thought it would be cool to play as me and I’ve achieved that.  All my friends and family can now play as me as well, but most of the time they just brag about how they beat me on the game playing as another rider! I’m pretty competitive though, so I get kicked off the 360 by my brother a lot when I’m at home! I’m also really impressed by Xbox Live and how you can play against anyone else from around the world, it’s a really great thing for the Moto GP fans worldwide.  

DR: Why are you number 38?

BS: Basically, my dad’s number in Motorcross was number 88 so when I did Motorcross I kept number 88. Then I switched to road racing and raced my first full season as number 38. After that I joined the Moto GP academy where I was given number 32 - it’s kind of an unwritten rule that you keep the number you were given at the academy. It turned out number 32 was already taken, so I decided to take half of my motorcross roots and half of my road racing roots to get number 38 - I just combined 88 and 32.

DR: Finally, what do you hope to achieve this season?

BS: I want to become World Champion! If I can’t, then the I at least want to improve my results over last season, which would be difficult as I did so well last year. I want to be competitive obviously, but carrying that form over 17 races isn’t easy. Luck won’t always be on my side, but I hope that lady luck helps me a little bit and that this time next year I’ll be World Champion.

Bradley had a great Saturday afternoon karting with Peter Rushton and his family in Loughborough.. He came out on top after a full half an hour of high speed action with his own Dad, brother Cortnie and the ultra competitive Rushton family.

Peter is the Chief Executive of the Optimum Business Solutions who are one of his new personal sponsors this season. The Cheshire – based company specialize in Procurement outsourcing and Fleet management services, helping customers secure substantial cost savings in the sourcing of company cars and commercial vehicles. Bradley is the promotional face for Optimum’s Fleet services.

After the karting, Peter’s 15 year old son Dominic sat down with Bradley to conduct his very own interview with the World Championship runner-up.

(The interview will be here soon)

The result – a brilliant professional interview which we are delighted for you to enjoy below – Surely a journalist of the future and that’s not Bradley!

Hey everyone

It’s the end of another week and amazingly we are now in February.

So it’s been pretty flat out this week, Dad and I have been racking up the miles around the country. Dress codes have changed from kart suits to dinner suits and from video games to kart tracks so we have been mixing it up this last seven days.

First things first and the MotoGP 09/10 game launch with capcom. It’s only the second time I have got inside the BRDC Suite at Silverstone and they have an incredible miniature car collection which they inform me is the biggest in the world, and they only have 75% of them out on show.  The day was rammed full of interviews for me and when I could I grabbed an Xbox to get in some practice laps in. Its amazing to see how competitve people get when there is a prize up for grabs, but to be honest this was a 2009 Motogp Limited edition Tissot watch so I can fully understand.

The following day I was on a flight from Stansted - Treviso to go and visit the AXO factory. Custom boots and then sizing up for Made to Measure Leathers were the start of the day, making me feel like a real Grand Prix rider. Then a full tour of the race department to meet the ladies that make my leathers when i throw my self down the track. They are so enthusiatic and passionate about helping the riders and that in itself was great to see. We finished off with a quick lunch and then back to the airport to fly home to the Friday night and five pm and the M25 traffic. I take my hat of to you guys that have to sit in that day in, day out.

The next morning I was heading up to Loughborough for a Karting session with Optimum. I have mentioned these guys before and you can now check out their website on the sponsor’s page. We had a right laugh with the usual banter beforehand and then the bumping and barging on the track, thankfully we did not break anything. We then headed for lunch and this was a chance to speak with a budding journo. Dominic Rushden’s ten questions with Bradley Smith interview will appear on the website very soon.

Its was then back to Oxford and jump into our penguin outfit and of to Milton Keynes. Hottrax had invited me to hand out the trophies for their presentation evening. I have to say a big Thankyou for the warm welcome i received and to the people that brought my knee sliders and posters all in aid of the CJ Riders Fund. The excitement from all the riders and families when they were called up for their awards made for a special night.

Finally I have been busy packing for a long training trip to California, where I will have the chance to watch San Diego and Anaheim III AMA supercross rounds, and also a NASCAR race at Fontana. So i will be sending over pictures and my weekly updates from State-Side for a while.

Also watch out for the Pictures and News from my First Test of 2010 in Barcelona on 18th+19th February.

Speak with Y'All soon

Bradley #38

The 2009 World 125 cc Championship runner-up Bradley Smith launched the sensational new MotoGP 09/10 video game at the Silverstone circuit in England on Wednesday.

The 19 year old Aspar Aprilia rider took on over 50 journalists in a series of grand prix races featured on the new game produced by Capcom. At the finish following some titanic battles, a new Tissot MotoGP watch was awarded to the journalist who beat Bradley on time in a three lap race at the Mugello circuit in Italy where Bradley won his second grand prix of the season last year.

“It’s a brilliant game not only for the racing at all the MotoGP venues including the new circuits at the Balatonring in Hungary and Silverstone in England but all aspects of grand prix racing including sponsorship, livery and PR,” explained Smith who was joined by fellow British riders Scott Redding and Danny Webb at the launch which was held at the prestigious BRDC suite at the Silverstone circuit that will host the British Grand Prix this year. “There were some serious game players there and I’m glad I don’t have to meet them out on the track.”

Not since the heady days of late legend Barry Sheene have British fans witnessed home talent enjoying as much success in Grand Prix racing as Bradley Smith did in 2009.

It was a year in which the Oxfordshire rider brilliantly converted undoubted potential into major success, as he became the most successful British Grand Prix rider for a generation.

Two victories in a cauldron atmosphere at Jerez and Mugello made Smith Britain’s most successful Grand Prix rider since Sheene and justified why he had been touted as of one the brightest prospects to emerge in the UK in decades. A maiden win in Spain also ended his own personal quest for an elusive first win.

Riding for the Aspar Aprilia squad, expectation and pressure was high with the Spanish squad the dominant force in the 125GP arena.

Nobody was more aware of the need to succeed than Smith himself and he needed the win in Jerez to inject much needed impetus to a season that had made a faltering start.

He was fifth in the rain-shortened Qatar night opener and tenth in Japan following a near huge high-side that left him soaked him blood after the jagged edge of a smashed fairing left him with a gaping neck wound.

When he kept his nerve to win a pulsating Italian GP in Mugello, Smith led the world championship. No other British rider had held that distinction since Sheene in 1979.

His hopes of title glory though suffered a crushing blow at the pivotal mid-season stage.

He’d qualified second on the grid at the Sachsenring in Germany, but had an instantly forgettable race when he crashed twice in the opening four laps and failed to score points for the first time.

Worse was to follow though.

His wild celebrations at a brilliant home pole position at Donington Park proved premature as Smith crashed out of the lead in a five-lap dash after rain had halted proceedings.

He remounted to finish 20th, but ultimately it was the mistakes in the German and British races that robbed him of his chance to mount a stronger title assault.

Aspar Aprilia team-mate Julian Simon won both the Sachsenring and Donington clashes to inflict maximum punishment on Smith.

And Simon would prove to be Smith’s nemesis for the rest of the season as the Spaniard went onto clinch his first world title.

Undeterred and appearing mentally more bulletproof than ever before, Smith then embarked on arguably the best spell of his riding career.

He ended the season with six successive podium finishes that included four narrow second places.

He had emerged from a pack of hot young Latino talent that included the likes of Nicolas Terol, Pol Espargaro and Andrea Iannone to pose the most serious threat to Simon’s domination of the 125 class in the second half of the campaign.

In the final three races in Australia, Malaysia and Valencia he lost out in thrilling last lap battles to Simon. The margin of defeat combined in the final three races amounted to less than 1.5s and showed the huge strides Smith had made in establishing himself as a consistent podium threat in 2009.

Smith might have become Britain’s best Grand Prix rider since Sheene and shown with unrivalled dedication and no shortage of talent that he is a genuine star in the making. In Sepang he clinched second place in the championship, yet inexplicably he got no offers to move to the new Moto2 600cc four-stroke class as he desperately craved.

Smith re-signed with Aspar Aprilia for another shot at the 125 title and will undoubtedly start 2010 as a pre-season favourite. Are we to finally to see a British world champion in again in Grand Prix racing? Watch this space.

Hey everyone

Another busy week has passed,

I was heading back to my roots last week and back to the motocross bike.
My dad Allan, Jeremy our friend/mechanic and myself filled the van and was heading to Holland. Eurotunnel brought back old memories of racing in the Dutch motocross championship back in 2001 but this time I was indoors.

Supercross practice with my good friend Rinus van de Ven for two days was tough, as he really put me and dad through our paces. Soon we had shaken out the cobwebs and were busily doubling and tripling our way round the track.

You never loose your touch in motocross just you get a little rusty.

At the weekend I was part of the "get race fit" day organised at the Porsche Human Performance Centre at Silverstone. It was a day filled with tests, assesments and information.

My role on the day was to be put through my paces on the treadmill and complete the lactate threshhold test. Results were positive and it shows that my training over the winter break is all on the right track.

The day finished off with a q+a session with f1 driver Mark Webber, this was a great opportunity to get a real drivers view on fitness in motorsport.

Mark is a new friend of mine after meeting at the MotoGP and it's great to know somebody else who is at the top of their game and such a determined athlete.

Also we have the Monster energy vs. Red Bull battle every time we meet up which is always highly amusing.

This Wednesday I am launching the new MotoGP 2010 game to the media, so I am now racking up the laps on the games console to make sure I will not be beaten.

Take care everyone and I will update you soon.

Cheers

Bradley #38

Hey everybody

Well Happy New Year to you all. Hope you have started 2010 how you mean to go on

I have had an amazing Christmas period with family and friends. It is always nice to have time at home and separate myself from the racing world

The New Year kicked off with a one week skiing holiday in Sauze d'oulx.
The trip started of with an early 2am wake up call, ready for a flight at 5:30.
Crashing on the first day getting of the ski lift was not a great start, but by the end of the seven days I was heading down the black moggle runs.

The second week of January was filled with more first time experiences.
Firstly after battling our way through the snow I visited the Man City ground to watch the game against Blackburn. A big thanks to Mike Jones and Peter Rushden at Optimum for the chance to watch the game in the Hospitality suite.

Optimum is a new personal sponsor of mine for 2010 and I really appreciate the help and support that they have shown me already.

Driving back to home was a long trip and finally hit my bed at 2:30, only to hear an alarm at 07:30. This time it was suit and tie and an invitation to the Houses of Parliament. The Bradley Smith crew of Mark Kleanthous (trainer), Claire Sobas (Nick Harris Media Communications) and myself rolled passed Big Ben ready for my speech to MP's and Lords about the motorcycle industry. The security was immense and after a quick tour of the building it was time for business. I just about got my words out as the first speaker and the rest of the day went very smoothly. (Thanks to Paul Blezard for the photo).

For the final port of call I was again on the road, this time to the Autosport show. As part of a new project I have lined up for 2010 with Racing Steps Foundation I was now on four wheels. David Brabham had put together a charity event for 20 teams of karters in support of Malaria No More. I have to say my fairground bumper car technique came in handy as I bashed into everybody out there, I did not make friends but I am not racing them this season anyway.

My agenda for the next few weeks:
Trip to Holland with my motocross bike, Porche Motorsport fitness day, MCN Show at London Excel.

As always I will be keeping you up to date with the crazy but exciting life that I will live through 2010.

Cheers

Bradley #38

Hi Everyone,

Bradley has recently returned from a well deserved holiday with his family, but now he has returned he is immidiatly back into a schedule of meetings and appearances.

You may have seen a nice article about Bradley in this weeks MCN

Bradley will also be making an appearance at the Autosport show tomorrow and will also be at the MCN London motorcycle show at the Excel centre on the first day (Thursday 4th Feb).

Steve