Bradley Smith

MotoGP racer

Bradley Smith was brought up to speed on an open practice track in his back garden and a father that competed in Motocross races. Before long, his dream was to be a MotoGP racer.
At age 14, the MotoGP Academy asked him to compete in the Spanish 125cc championship, which he was only one point away from winning after his victories in the final three races. The following year, he received the Rookie of the year award, racing in the 125cc World Championship with the Repsol Honda 125cc Team. It wasn’t until the following year that he obtained his first podium with a third place at Le Mans.
Results kept improving year after year, as Smith applied his trademark of determination. In 2008, he got his first pole position after signing with Polaris World Aprilia, reached the podium four times and finished the season in 6th position.
Bradley continued with the Aprilia by joining Aspar Racing Team in 2009 and achieved his first Grand Prix win in Jerez, with the second following closely at Mugello. Unfortunately, the last three races cost him the World Championship title, and Smith had to settle with runner-up spot.
Bradley Smith moved to the Moto2 category for 2011 and 2012 with French team Tech3. He achieved a home podium on the way to seventh position in the championship. His goal for 2012 was to achieve third place, but Smith had to content himself with a very descent ninth position before stepping up to fulfil a life-long dream at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing – MotoGP.
For 2013, Bradley will be competing with the likes of Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo with his Monster Tech3 Yamaha MotoGP team. His time spent in the Moto2 class will already have smoothed the transition into MotoGP, however, it is definitely the most demanding and tough category and will still, of course, require an adaptation phase. Nevertheless, Bradley Smith is determined to obtain the position the bike deserves by the end of the season. He is currently aiming to finish races in the top six by then.