Bradley Smith collected a hard earned eighth place at the Sepang International Circuit this afternoon after the Tech 3 Racing Team rider battled through the pain barrier to master treacherous conditions in a rain-hit Malaysian Moto2 Grand Prix.
Torrential rain that fell shortly after the earlier Moto3 encounter delayed the start of the 19-lap race by more than 30 minutes, but Smith's wet weather riding skills quickly came to the fore when the action did get underway.
The British rider surged into the lead but he was unab le to maintain the fast pace at the front after encountering rear grip issues in improving conditions.
With two broken toes on his left foot causing him considerable discomfort when changing gear, Smith settled into a fast and consistent rhythm that kept him comfortably inside the top 10 throughout.
Monsoon conditions then engulfed the Sepang International Circuit shortly after the halfway stage, with visibility the main issue as the rain battered the long and technical Malaysia venue.
Rather than take unnecessary risks as conditions deteriorated, Smith adopted a sensible and calm approach to bring his Mistral 610 machine home in eighth to keep himself firmly in the hunt for sixth place in the overall World Championship standings.
Today's race ended in bitter disappointment for Xavier Simeon. Eager to make up places in the early stages to put himself in contention for a second successive points-scoring finish, the Belgian rider made a flying start and forced his way into the top 15 in the first few corners.
A collision with French rider Johann Zarco at Turn 6 ended his race in premature fashion, though luckily he escaped injury in the incident and will be looking to bounce back strongly with a challenge for the points in the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island next Sunday.
Bradley Smith 8th – 104 points:
“The weather conditions worked against us today and it was a little bit disappointing because after a weekend where we were always competitive in the dry it would have been fantastic to have a dry race. I was second i n the warm-up and in the dry I was very confident of battling for the top three. I attacked right from the beginning as I really wanted to be in front and it was brilliant to lead a race. It might have only been for a short time but it is still a big boost for me and the Tech 3 Racing Team. But I felt from the first lap that we were struggling a bit with rear grip, so I just concentrated on being as fast and smooth as I possibly could without taking too many chances. My left foot wasn't too bad once the adrenaline kicked in and to be honest I hardly noticed it, but the last thing I needed was a crash. I was in a consistent rhythm when the track was drying but then it started raining again and I was just taking calculated risks and not pushing too hard. Eighth is a decent result and good for the Championship and hopefully we can be strong again in Phillip Island.”
Xavier Simeon DNF – 19 points:
“I made a very good start and made up some places by being strong in the first corner. I was already inside the points when Zarco made a small mistake at Turn 6. I had to brake at an angle and unfortunately we crashed out together. It's a real pity because even if the qualifying was not the best, the Mistral 610 was really good this weekend and in the warm-up I was fast again, so sure I could have done a strong race, especially in those tricky conditions where I am normally very fast. Now we have try our maximum again in Australia.”
Tech 3 Racing Press Release
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