Bradley Smith gets premier treatment ahead of Sepang test

Bradley Smith sampled elite level sport of a slightly more sedate pace than MotoGP when he was invited to a special training session with Premier League outfit Everton FC this week.

The 22-year-old took time out from his own intensive pre-season preparations ahead of his rookie season in MotoGP to visit Everton’s Finch Farm training ground.

Smith, who will partner Cal Crutchlow in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 squad in 2013, watched the Everton stars in a training session before he was put through his paces by the Liverpool-based club’s Sports Science team.

The Oxfordshire rider is one of the fittest athletes in the MotoGP paddock and he came through the tough 40-minute physical assessment with flying colours and was declared as fit as a first team player.

Smith was presented with a replica shirt with his race number 38 and name on the back of it and he said: “It was a great honour to be given this opportunity to experience a structured programme and to talk and work with some of the countries most elite sports scientists.

They presented me with a special first team shirt with number 38 on the back but I don’t think I’ll be getting a call from Manager, David Moyes, to be in their line-up when they play at Southampton on Monday night. However, I’ll be watching the game on the television with great interest especially after an insight into how hard those guys train.”

Smith will be in action on the Tech 3 YZR-M1 1000cc machine when winter testing resume at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia on February 5.