Bradley Smith challenges Lewis Hamilton

British 125GP world title hopeful Bradley Smith has tried to challenge Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton to a motocross battle.

The Aspar Aprilia rider met the McLaren driver during a recent pre-season F1 test in Barcelona while he was training at Randy Mamola’s house.

The 18-year-old told MCN: “He is such a nice guy. He’s a big motocrosser, that’s where he started from too.

“Me being from motocross as well I was trying to get him to sign up for a day on the bikes! He was a really nice guy and really down to earth.”

Smith said he also used the experience to change his perception of Formula One having got the chance to observe Hamilton from trackside at the Catalunya circuit.

“I could go round the circuit slip road and have a look at those cars. It’s amazing because you think they are just flat-out and turn it.

“But those cars move around so much without traction control and you can see which cars are set up for the slow corners and which for the fast corners

” To see that side of F1, I’ve taken back my first impressions of it being really boring. Those guys are putting in a lot of effort and the speed they carry is something else.”

Smith finished second during last weekend’s Jerez test session while Hamilton started the defence of his F1 title with third place in Australia.