At the age of 16, Bradley Smith is partaking in his second Motorcycle Grand Prix season with under the banner of the Repsol Honda Team 125cc. At such a young age, has already achieved his first pedestal after finishing as the third placer at the French Grand Prix.
Bradley has been recording good times during the first third of the season. He also ran at good speeds and even managed to get onto the podium in France.
In an interview he said that he was really looking forward to racing at Donington. He considers the Grand Prix a very special one because many of his English fans will be going to the venue, wearing t-shirts and cheering for him.
When asked about the missing thing that is hindering him to run constantly, he answered that he needs to be stronger in the opening laps for his speed is the same as his rivals’. So he could run faster than them in the last laps. He deduced further that he has to give 120 percent in the first few laps. But he added that will not exaggerate his performance because he believes that mistakes can cost time as well.
In the Euro Sport interview, he was also asked on the thing that stopped his first win. He replied that he might be better on worn tires because that is when he could be fast and stay with them. He believes that the riders in the front do not seem to be able to pull away when their tires are worn out. He commented that his fellow riders are impressively fast at the beginning with their new tires, but they are just like the average. He would therefore take advantage in the last laps where he is confident he will win.
Bradley hopes that he is strong enough now, considering the many tests that they were doing. He is a hundred percent motivated and he considers motivation an essential point. He wants to prove to the public that winning the podium was not a coincidence and that he was able to achieve the same result.
As regards Faubel, he said that nobody is setting a really good race pace though the practice times are similar to those of last year. This is the reason why he thinks only Faubel has been able to repeat the win.
Bradley is also looking forward to racing with his fellow young riders, but he is more focused on dreaming about winning a 125cc race, and not about riding a MotoGP bike.
About Bradley Smith
Born in 1990, Bradley Smith is an English motorcycle racer, whose father raced in Motocross, and the family owned an open practice track. At the age of 6, Brad got his first motocross bike.
He applied for selection to the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) academy for young racers, but was never selected. He spent a year in 2004 competing in the Aprilia Superteams competition, where he finished fourth behind three ACU Academy riders.
Brad still attends and studies at Wheatley park school.
About Honda
Honda Motor Corporation manufactures top of the line auto parts like Honda door lock. Moreover, aside from its wide array of products and services, it is also into auto racing where it had presented many fantastic teams and races.
Last Thursday was a bleak day for Honda the producer of Honda catalytic converter when one of its riders Toni Elias of Spain fractured his femur in a crash during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen.
Tony Elias is currently on the 10th rank in the MotoGP standings with 49 points. And last Thursday he slid off the track and caught his left leg under his body as rolled into a gravel trap.
The injured Elias was taken to Assen hospital for surgery and doctors said that he would likely miss upcoming races in the United States and Germany but he could be back just in time for the Aug. 19 racing event in Brno, Czech Republic, according to a statement on the official MotoGP Web site.
Last Thursday accident was not the first for Elias in Assen. It can be remembered that he also crashed on the first day of practice last year where he sustained shoulder injury and which has prevented him from racing. And that’s not all in the year 2005 also in Assen where he was injured and also missed the race.
Casey Stoner MotoGP leader was the quickest driver in practice last Thursday. He was able to qualify for the ninth race of the MotoGP season on Friday and also for the race on Saturday.
Stoner rides a Ducati is looking forward for his sixth win of the season and was 0.212 seconds faster that his nearest rival, the Kawasaki rider Randy de Puniet of France. Meanwhile Nicky Hayden, the winner in Assen last year had the third best time and Valentino Rossi was fourth.
About Toni Elias
Toni Elias was born in March 26, 1983. He is a professional motorcycle racer. He is also the third member of the Elias family to compete in motorcycle racing. He was born in Manresa, Spain.
Toni started his racing career in the 125cc World Championship in 2000 at the age of 17 but it was in the year 2001 where he was able to finished 3rd and after that he joined the Dutch TT at the prestigious Assen circuit. He went to 250s for 2002 where he was able to finished 4th that year and then 3rd a year later and then 4th again by 2004.
It was in the year 2005 when Elias entered MotoGP for Fortuna Yamaha, and last year he takes Fortuna backing Fausto Gresini’s Honda squad.
Chief Satoru Horike of Honda Racing Corporation, 21-year old Dani Pedrosa will still be racing in Repsol colours next year.
A last-minute decision was made by Horike to fly to Assen for the Dutch TT in a bid to convince the Spaniard racer, who is out of contract at the end of the year, to make a contract on a new deal.
The factory team's failure to win a race since Nicky Hayden succeeded in the USA 12 months ago had led Pedrosa last week to say to the public that he was open to offers from rival squads for 2008.
Horike told MCN that he can understand what Dani wants to say but the chief believes that they we can make a contract soon and that he will stay.
Pedrosa is in the third spot in the world championship. He achieved such triumph after finishing on the podium four times so far this year but is 66 points (the equivalent of two wins and a third place) adrift of leader Casey Stoner, his main competitor when the pair raced 250s in 2005.
The two-time race winner has been rumored with a move to Suzuki next year but has denied that any talks have taken place with the team.
Grand Prix motorcycle racer Daniel "Dani" Pedrosa was born September 29, 1985 in Sabadell, Spain, and is the youngest world champion in 125cc and 250cc Grands Prix. He grew up in a village near Sabadell called Castellar del Vallès. Pedrosa stands 5 feet and 2 inches tall and weighs 51kg (112.4lbs).
Honda Racing
Aside from building quality car parts such as Honda Del Sol parts, Japan’s second largest automaker is also into racing.
Honda entered Formula One as a constructor for the first time in the 1964 season at the German Grand Prix with Ronnie Bucknum at the wheel. The year 1965 was the addition of Richie Ginther to the team who scored Honda's first point at the Belgian Grand Prix. It was also the year when Honda had its first win at the Mexican Grand Prix. Their next win at the Italian Grand Prix with John Surtees as their driver was in 1967.
Unfortunately, in 1968, Jo Schlesser was killed in a Honda RA302 at the French Grand Prix. This racing tragedy plus the company’s commercial difficulties of selling automobiles in the United States prompted Honda to withdraw from all international motorsport that year.
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