British MotoGP: Bradley Smith happy with fast start

Bradley Smith declared himself happy after he made a solid start to his all-important home race at the Silverstone track today. 

The 19-year-old finished first practice in fourth position having been denied a top three position in the closing stages of the session.

Smith, who ended practice with a best time of 2.16.268, said: “I love the new circuit – it is incredibly fast even though it’s a bit bumpy, which I struggled to get used to for the first couple of laps. I am surprised because even though the surface is quite dirty there is still plenty of grip.   

“There was only a light wind and we were able to work more or less to plan. I spent the whole session on the same tyre and I have got a good idea about its performance ahead of the race. The only area we really need to improve is the front end, which is a little nervous over the bumps, to try and find a setting that allows us to attack the fast turns.

“I am happy with the job we did today though because I have adapted quickly to the track and my lap time is decent. It is surprising to see such a small gap between the top five riders over a circuit that measures almost six kilometres, so we’ll have to keep working hard to improve tomorrow.

“The feeling with the bike is good at the moment, the engine is responding much better than at the last race and I am sure we’ll make more progress tomorrow.”