Valencia MotoGP: Bradley Smith secures front row

Having struggled in windy conditions yesterday to finish only 13th quickest, British teenager Bradley Smith stormed back to form in today’s 125GP qualifying session to secure his ninth front row start of the season.

The Aspar Aprilia rider will start tomorrow’s final race from third on the grid having topped the timesheets with just over 15 minutes of the session remaining.

The 18-year-old, who has already secured second place in the world championship, clocked a best time of 1.41.830 on his 19th lap to finish just 0.358s away from pole position.

Pole went to Spanish-team-mate Julian Simon as the newly crowned world champion posted a best time of 1.411.472.

That secured him his seventh pole position of 2009 by just 0.004s from Italian Simone Corsi. Completing the front row was KTM rider Marc Marquez, who clocked a best lap of 1.41.991 to finish just 0.161s adrift of Oxfordshire rider Smith.

Gloucestershire rider Scott Redding, who is facing an anxious wait to find out whether he has a ride in the new Moto2 class in 2010, scored his best qualifying result since the Italian GP in Mugello back in early June.

Redding ended up ninth quickest on the Blusens Aprilia to qualify in the top ten for the first time in 10 races.

The 2008 British 125GP winner was only 0.071s off a second row start. Danny Webb, who has signed a deal with the Jack & Jones Aprilia squad for 2010, had a miserable session.

The 18-year-old high-sided exiting the final corner on only his fourth lap. He needed to taken away by stretcher to the circuit medical centre and if declared fit he will start the 24-lap race from down in 28th place on the grid.