Faster pace caused Smith crash

Pata Honda rookie Kyle Smith says that the faster pace of Sunday’s Thai World Supersport race was to blame for his crash at the half way point of the race. The British expat was running strong at the time, though, challenging for the lead and dicing with the front group of Jules Cluzel, PJ Jacobsen, Ratthapark Wilairot and Kenan Sofuoglu.

“I felt really strong in the first part of the race. I knew there were a lot of laps and even though I’d been passed by a couple of riders, I knew my race pace over the weekend had been better than theirs so I wasn’t worried. I thought that as long as I stayed inside the leading group I would be fine. I felt like the front had been pushing a little all weekend and I had been making up for that with a slightly slower corner entry and then a faster exit.

“But as the pace in the race was a little higher, I had to enter the corner faster and that ended up pushing the front more. I could still ride and felt stronger than the others and, as I pushed to close the gap and make an attack, I lost the front and crashed. There’s not much to say about that apart from to say it was rider error and to apologise to the team.”