Bradley Smith satisfied with Moto2 progress

Atrocious weather conditions might have severely disrupted this week’s three-day Moto2 test in Estoril, but British rider Bradley Smith was still happy with progress made in the limited track time available.

The Tech 3 Racing rider escaped injury following a big crash on the second day of a test dominated by heavy rain and strong winds.

The 20-year-old, who will partner former 125GP world champion Mike di Meglio in 2011, said: “Although the weather didn’t provide us with the best conditions, I still learnt a lot and we are going in the right direction with the bike.

“We’ve got a two-week break now before the next test in Jerez and that is good to make some changes to the bike based on what we discovered in Valencia and Estoril.

“The bike feels more like my friend now and that is very positive for me. Each time I go out on track I am learning so much that I am sure I can still make a big step forward. I was lucky in the crash on the second day.

“The power caught me out in the rain, but luckily both the bike and me didn’t get damaged too much. That’s all part of gaining experience for me but I’m happy with progress. In Valencia I was two seconds away, now I am 1.5s away.

“I am sure we can improve by another second by the time we get to Qatar for the first race, so I’m moving in the right direction.”