Bradley Smith – Qualfiying Quotes, British GP
Bradley Smith made history today by taking the final pole position for a 125cc Grand Prix at Donington Park with a stunning performance in this afternoon’s qualifying session. Whilst his Bancaja team-mates Julián Simón and Sergio Gadea dominated this morning’s free practice, it was Smith who moved to the fore in the afternoon to take pole position, his second of the season, at his home circuit ahead of the Spanish Armada of Espargaró Simón, Olivé, Gadea and Márquez. With the top six riders qualifying inside half a second, it promises to be a close battle for victory tomorrow.
Smith struggled for front grip this morning and could lap no better than twelfth fastest but the British teenager turned it around in the afternoon thanks to a great job by his mechanics. Having hovered in second place for much of the grid shootout, the Oxfordshire star produced two stunning laps at the very end to delight the home crowd.
Here’s his take on the day’s performance and his prospects for Sunday…
“That was a fantastic qualifying session for me – I felt like I had it under control all the way through and the bike was working perfectly. My confidence picked up as the laps went by and I was able to go faster and faster. I don’t think we could ask for much more at the moment – just for the weekend to end successfully tomorrow! Whatever happens I have to stay focused because the points don’t get dished out until tomorrow and that is when you’ve got to really produce the goods. The bike is more or less ready and we don’t need to change anything before the race. Hopefully the weather is on our side and we have a dry race. It is important for us to get a good result tomorrow to keep our championship chances intact.”
