Photo: motogp.com
Good news arrives from Herve Poncharal's camp, as the French outfit announced officially having inked a deal with the British rider Bradley Smith. 2016 is, therefore, the fourth MotoGP season for Smith, and it brings the hopes of even higher performance aboard the satellite Yamaha YZR-M1.
In total, Bradley Smith already spent five years wearing the Tech 3 livery, as he joined Poncharal's team back in 2011, in his Moto2 debut year.
The contract extension comes as a confirmation of Smiths excellent form this year. 2015 is, so far, the most successful year in his career. He has never finished lower than eighth in the 11 rounds this year, and is the best-positioned satellite rider on the grid.
Currently, fifth in the world standing, Bradley Smith has 106 points. If the riders above him in the ranking don't get injured, Smith will have to battle to retain his fifth position. Andrea Iannone is fourth in the standings but has 142 points, and this gap will be almost impossible to close in the remaining rounds.
Still, Smith has a two-point lead on Ducati's factory rider Andrea Dovizioso and is 15 points ahead of Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa. Smith's teammate Pol Espargaro is currently 8th, with 81 points.
Smith was more than happy with the new contract: "Obviously, I am really pleased to be able to continue this journey with the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team and it's fantastic news to re-sign for another season. We will be going into our sixth year together and I must say that it is certainly nice to be giving the guys the results and performances that they deserve at the moment. So far in 2015, I have been finishing where we want to be which is very positive, as I'm sure that I am in debt to them for the first two years in the premier class!
Everyone in the team has put their faith in me again and we know that 2016 will be tricky due to the changes in regulations, however, I am optimistic that this will give the satellite riders more of a chance to be competitive. Therefore I am confident about going into next year, as I know that everything will be fairer so we will continue to work together and we fully intend to take our sponsors onto the podium. 2016 will be exciting and I am more than pleased about being able to ride aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 and with the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team,” he added.
The contract extension comes as a confirmation of Smiths excellent form this year. 2015 is, so far, the most successful year in his career. He has never finished lower than eighth in the 11 rounds this year, and is the best-positioned satellite rider on the grid.
Currently, fifth in the world standing, Bradley Smith has 106 points. If the riders above him in the ranking don't get injured, Smith will have to battle to retain his fifth position. Andrea Iannone is fourth in the standings but has 142 points, and this gap will be almost impossible to close in the remaining rounds.
Still, Smith has a two-point lead on Ducati's factory rider Andrea Dovizioso and is 15 points ahead of Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa. Smith's teammate Pol Espargaro is currently 8th, with 81 points.
Good results both in MotoGP and World Endurance
Making Bradley Smith an even more valuable asset for Yamaha is his recent contribution to the greater glory of House Iwata, as he was part of the three-rider team that won the Suzuka 8 Hour race. As teammates, Smith had Pol Espargaro and endurance veteran and Yamaha test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga.Smith was more than happy with the new contract: "Obviously, I am really pleased to be able to continue this journey with the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team and it's fantastic news to re-sign for another season. We will be going into our sixth year together and I must say that it is certainly nice to be giving the guys the results and performances that they deserve at the moment. So far in 2015, I have been finishing where we want to be which is very positive, as I'm sure that I am in debt to them for the first two years in the premier class!
Everyone in the team has put their faith in me again and we know that 2016 will be tricky due to the changes in regulations, however, I am optimistic that this will give the satellite riders more of a chance to be competitive. Therefore I am confident about going into next year, as I know that everything will be fairer so we will continue to work together and we fully intend to take our sponsors onto the podium. 2016 will be exciting and I am more than pleased about being able to ride aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 and with the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team,” he added.
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