Smith was the lone representative for the Tech 3 Racing Team in Le Mans today, with team-mate Xavier Simeon unfortunately unable to start the 26-lap race through injury. The Belgian rider suffered a broken left hand and foot in a heavy qualifying crash yesterday. He will undergo surgery on the right hand in Belgium tomorrow (Monday) and begin his recovery.
Smith said, “It was an eventful way to mark my 100th race and I suppose it could have been better and it could have been worse. I had a brilliant first couple of laps and was quickly battling for the podium. It was difficult because I wanted to be aggressive and push but I had to be careful not to take too many risks with the conditions so tricky. The bike was sliding around a lot, particularly on corner entry, and that's why I ran off. I recovered my confidence and pace really quickly and it was great to battle my way back inside the top six. But I made a small mistake at the final corner and crashed. I'm happy because I could pick the bike up and still finish 10th and I was also very fast in the wet conditions. But I'm a little bit disappointed too because it was possible to fight for the podium, and that would have been an amazing way to celebrate my 100th race."
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