Tech 3 Racing Team riders Bradley Smith and Xavier Simeon will launch their bid for the top 10 in tomorrow's AirAsia Australian Moto2 Grand Prix from 15th and 16th place on the grid respectively.
The Tech 3 Racing pair have had to battle constantly changing weather conditions at the fast and flowing Phillip Island track, with gusting winds, cold temperatures and rain showers all playing a part in this weekend's action.
Looking to build on a promising 13th position at t he end of practice, Smith was just about to commence his attack on soft rubber when he suffered a high-speed fall at Turn 8 on his 11th lap in this afternoon's qualifying session.
The 21-year-old was able to walkaway unhurt in the spill but with his Mistral 610 extensively damaged, Smith was unable to take any further part in a session that was disrupted by a short and sharp rain shower.
Smith's best time of 1.35.169 left him 15th on the grid, but despite missing precious time on track, he was less than 0.5s away from the top seven and he remains confident he can fight for a top six in tomorrow's race.
One place further back on the grid is Belgian teammate Simeon, who was only 0.141s behind after he set a personal best time of 1.35.310.
He has overcome niggli ng technical issues that have cost him precious time on track and disturbed his bid to find the optimum set-up with his Mistral 610 machine. But each time he tried to push for a fast lap time in the closing stages of qualifying, he encountered slower riders cruising close to the racing line and he is certain that had he found clear track in front of him he would have been challening for a much higher starting position.
Bradley Smith 15th 1.35.169 – 10 laps:
“First of all I want to say sorry to my Tech 3 Racing Team because it was an unfortunate mistake on my part. I had just put a new soft tyre in and I saw that it was starting to rain a little bit, but I wanted to do at least one or two laps. The soft tyre would definitely have improved my lap time and my grid position, so I made a mistake and I really feel s orry for it. The positive is that I didn't get hurt because that part of the track is very fast. It is a shame because we have been improving the bike in every session, but it has been a tough weekend. We still have some ideas for tomorrow to try in the warm-up, even if I'm afraid that the front group is not catchable. I believe that a realistic target for tomorrow might be an eighth place but of course I will be aiming for even better. Hopefully we will find some small improvements in the warm up, especially in the last sector where we lose a lot, and that section is really important for the race.”
Xavier Simeon 16th 1.35.310 – 15 laps:
“We have improved a lot since yesterday. The bike felt really good after I had an engine failure after just four laps yesterday and this morning we had a small problem and I spent quite a lot of time in the box. I didn't ride too much during the practice sessions, so we lost a lot of set-up time and a chance to build up my rhythm. We tried a new direction this afternoon and it definitely worked. It is a shame I couldn't capitalise on how good the Mistral 610 felt because at the end of the session when I was ready to push and take profit of the changes we had made, there were so many riders waiting to follow somebody that it was impossible to get in a clear lap. That's why I'm a little bit disappointed to be only 16th on the grid because I think my potential was higher. I'm still confident I can get in the points and finish this long trip with a positive result at this fantastic track.”
Tech 3 Racing Press Release
You can give your opinion on our Facebook page here
Get the latest update on our Twitter page here
