Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Cal Crutchlow stole the show yet again today, delivering a drama filled performance and a heroic qualifying effort to take fourth on the grid for tomorrow’s Monster Energy Grand Prix de France. The 26year old took a huge tumble in the fourth free practice, bringing out the red flags whilst medical staff attended on track.

The British rider’s amazing determination and bravery was once again on show as having paid a flying visit to the circuit medical centre he was immediately back out on track, fighting for another front row start in qualifying practice two.

Crutchlow rode through obvious pain and looked certain to have secured a brilliant third place when former teammate Andrea Dovizioso improved his lap time to just six thousands of a second faster, relegating him to the second row of the grid in fourth for tomorrow’s race.

Teammate and fellow British rider Bradley Smith continued to show his calm concentration and steady improvements as he lapped the Le Mans circuit today on his YZR-M1.

Having performed well enough to join the second qualifying session the young British rookie stayed out on track during the 15 minute heat whilst the majority of rider spitted for fresh rubber and enjoyed an empty track.

In the hunt for the best possible grid position Smith was able to lay down a best time of 1’34.222 seconds for ninth on the grid, just over a second from pole and just 0.213 seconds from nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi in eighth.

Cal Crutchlow 4th 1’33.609 – 9 laps:
“I can’t be disappointed to have qualified in fourth position after how the day went. Unfortunately it was another difficult one for us and for sure the crash in free practice four didn’t make things easier. We’ve struggling the whole weekend in a few areas and I still don’t feel completely confident with the setup of the bike, so we have some work to go through tonight. I’m also feeling very sore after the crash and the medical staff diagnosed that I’ve got a small fracture of the right shin but that will not prevent me from giving 100% in tomorrow’s all-important home race for my Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team!”

Bradley Smith 9th 1’34.222 – 10 laps:
“I’m definitely happy to qualify on the third row today. We made some great improvements throughout the whole weekend getting consistently faster during each session. Nevertheless I’m embittered about the gap to the fastest because it’s just over a second and my aim was to be a little bit closer, but probably I would need to worry if I’m completely satisfied after finishing ninth. Anyway, I want to say a big thanks to my team because they prepared a fantastic bike for me that gave me more and more confidence with every single lap. I’m really looking forward to putting on a good show in front of the French fans during tomorrow’s 28 laps lasting race.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

The biggest race of the MotoGP World Championship campaign for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team started in positive fashion for British duo Cal Crutchlow and Bradley Smith at the historic Le Mans track today.

This weekend’s race is not only the all-important home encounter for the French-based Tech 3 squad, but the popular Le Mans event is sponsored once again by Monster Energy, the high profile American energy drinks company that is the title backer of Crutchlow and Smith’s MotoGP effort.

In extremely cool conditions this morning, Crutchlow was sixth fastest in a closely fought FP1 that saw the top nine covered by less than a second. In higher temperatures this afternoon, Crutchlow remained in sixth position, despite improving his pace by well over 0.5s. A best lap of 1.34.512 was only 0.477s off the best time, the second session proving to be another close affair with the top nine split by just over 0.7s.

Smith was 15th this morning, the British rider getting to grips with the world renowned Bugatti track while also working on the set-up of an updated YZR-M1 chassis which he tested with such positive results in Jerez recently.

He was able to improve by almost 1.5s in FP2 and he rocketed up into 11th place on the rankings with a best time of 1.35.362 that gave the 22-year-old a huge confidence boost ahead of Sunday’s 28-lap race.

Smith’s vast improvement was reflected in the gap to Jerez winner Dani Pedrosa, who led the way in FP1 and FP2. Smith was over two seconds behind Pedrosa this morning but he ended the second session just 1.327s off the quickest pace.

Cal Crutchlow – 6th 1.34.512:
“We did not have our best day today and I’m not really happy with how things started this weekend. We experimented quite a lot with the bike and made it shorter and longer but we did not find an ideal setting yet. We have a lot of chatter and not too much grip, so clearly we are struggling quite a bit at the moment because the other guys seem to improve while I feel the same as on the first lap out there this morning. So we still have a lot of work to do tonight and we have to improve in several areas. I’m having an issue with the brakes but we are still confident for tomorrow and I am sure we can improve to put on a good show in such a big race for Tech 3 and Monster Energy.”

Bradley Smith – 11th 1.35.362:
“Today was a good first day in Le Mans. I started to feel a lot more confident this afternoon compared to this morning because there was extra grip on track thanks to the higher track temperature. We found almost 1.5s and that’s really positive. I like this circuit a lot, especially with a MotoGP bike and the differences compared to a smaller bike seem to be not that big compared to the other tracks I have experienced so far. I just have to understand the different braking points like in the first corner where I’ve already made three mistakes so far. But now I think I understood where the limit is. But it was a good day and we are closer than usual to the top after day one and I really feel confident with the new chassis, especially on new tyres, so we will work hard tonight and hopefully go straight into the second qualifying session tomorrow.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

Bradley Smith’s latest blog has been posted up on his official website, reflecting on Jerez and also on his latest off-track happenings: getting settled into his new home in Andorra and working out what to do with his receding hair! As typically articulate, informative and entertaining as ever…

Where do I start? The race in Jerez, moving house, the bills or the extreme new haircut. It’s been that couple of weeks since flying back from Texas. So let’s start with the Spanish Grand Prix.

The more and more I ride in MotoGP the more I realise that you have to listen to what your bike is saying. In the cooler morning warm-up it was allowing me ride around one minute 40 s but in the hotter conditions in the race it clearly told me to ride in the one minute 42s. It’s like a game of chess in the end, try not making mistakes and staying in the hunt and attack when the guys in front start slowing up. Both Pirro and Espargaro where going back wards at the finish and I thought it was time to pounce and take ninth but it was finally tenth.

I was 50 seconds behind the winner in Texas and 44s seconds down in Jerez. I’m not over the moon with that distance but it shows progression and we are getting better and better even if it miniscule. We are not going backwards but I would have liked a better performance at a track I know. It shows in the slippery conditions like Jerez I’m still a rookie, still learning about different scenarios in different conditions. I have to accept it’s part of the learning curve. The carbon disc brakes are a prime example.

It’s amazing how the brakes work. With steel discs you squeeze it from the very beginning and then you hammer it on and the stopping is constant. On the MotoGP bike with carbon discs when you first grab the lever it does not seem to work and then all of a sudden bang and it really grips up. You have to get stronger in your arms and make sure you keep your body weight back. Suddenly you able to use almost the same braking distances and stop on a MotoGP bike with speeds of 210 mph as I did on a Moto2 bike with a top speed of around 170 mph. It’s amazing feeling that has taken time to get used too. You have to learn to use them at the right point when the bike is stable.

You feel like you want to go over the handlebars all the time. At the braking point I have to lock my arms as straight as I can possibly get them. Also I’ve started gripping the tank with my knees and forced myself to stay backwards to keep me further back. After three races I’ve still not figured it out 100 per cent but we are getting there which is a good thing with Le Mans next on the schedule.

Between Texas and Jerez I moved out of the family home in Oxford to Andorra. It’s another change in my life and an important step. You have to grow up at one point although I don’t like to admit it. I’m really proud of my new place and soon as the snow disappears I’ll be out on the trials bike up in those mountains.

I just can’t believe just how much stuff you have to buy to make a house. I just thought a couple of beds, a fridge and tele would be perfect but didn’t have a clue about sheets, duvets, pillow cases, kitchen utensils and cups . You name it and I’d forgotten about it. The bills are mounting up.

To celebrate my new independence I decided it was time for a Mohican haircut, using everything I’ve got before inevitable baldness strikes. My hairdresser told me there is only one hairstyle I can have. While I can do something with it I don’t mind doing something extreme because time is running out fast.

Source: bradleysmith38.com

The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team celebrated its first double top 10 result of the 2013 MotoGP campaign in Jerez today, with Cal Crutchlow riding to a heroic fifth place and rookie Bradley Smith storming to a maiden top 10 finish.

Crutchlow displayed phenomenal determination and bravery to bounce back from two heavy crashes yesterday to maintain his 100% record of finishing every race inside the top five this season.

The British rider was engaged in an exciting early fight with Valentino Rossi for fourth before he got locked into an intense tussle with Alvaro Bautista shortly before the halfway stage of the 27-lap encounter.

In scenes reminiscent of their titanic battle for the podium in Japan last October, Bautista seized fifth from Crutchlow on lap 11. But riding through the pain barrier in gruelling heat that saw temperatures hit 27 degrees under clear blue skies, Crutchlow fought back superbly to take back fifth on lap 17. He then produced a master class in aggressive riding to streak away from Bautista and claim a third successive top five finish by almost three seconds.

Bradley Smith produced an equally impressive ride to come tantalizingly close to registering his first top 10 finish in MotoGP.

For the majority of the 27-lap race he was locked in the biggest battle on track for eighth position with Andrea Dovizioso, Aleix Espargaro and Michele Pirro.

Smith moved into the top 10 on lap 24 with a clinical move to get by Pirro and at that stage he was 1.770s behind Espargaro. He produced a stunning late charge to cut the Spaniard’s advantage to less than a second but just as he was lining up an attack to claim ninth the chequered flag came out.

Cal Crutchlow 5th – 35 points:
“Fifth place today is not a bad result considering everything that has gone on before but it’s not exactly what we expected. I was fast all weekend but after the two crashes yesterday I think it’s a very good result to remain the best of the rest. I did not feel very confident with the front-end in the race, but I think all Yamaha’s struggled in this area. I think in the middle of the race my pace was good and I started to push but with the full fuel tank I could not stop the bike and I had no grip, so I lost quite a bit of time in the early laps. Physically I had no problem on the bike for the race distance although I had a little bit of pain in my lower back. It has been a difficult weekend in many respects so I am very satisfied with fifth because probably last year I would not have finished the race in the same situation and that’s for sure an improvement.”

Bradley Smith 10th – 10 points:
“I’m obviously happy with my first top 10 result because conditions for the race were different compared to the rest of the weekend. The lap times were relatively slow and the temperature meant the grip was quite low, so it was a big learning experience for me. Riding these bikes with that little grip needs a different style, so I had to adapt at the beginning of the race. From the middle stages I felt comfortable and I’m a little disappointed to be beaten again by Espargaro but it’s nice to be at least closer than last time in Austin. I just ran out of time at the end of the race because I was catching him very quickly. In Austin I was 50 seconds behind the winner and here the deficit is 44 seconds, so that’s definitely a positive and our aim for the future will be to keep reducing the gap. I’m really looking forward to the test tomorrow. It will be another learning experience for me and it will be nice to test on a track where we’ve just had a race and where I feel now really comfortable on the bike. Tomorrow we will be able to test a few different parts and understand actually what’s working better and what does not. So all in all it has been a positive weekend with improvements in every session.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager:
“Cal did amazing all weekend, even though the two high-speed crashes yesterday meant he faced a very tough race. But he showed his fighting spirit and he had a good fight with Valentino at the beginning of the race and with Bautista afterwards. He managed to pass Bautista and was able to follows Rossi’s pace and it is a shame he was a few seconds behind him because I’m sure he could have fought for fourth. Cal clearly demonstrated once again that he is the best of the rest. He is still fifth in the Championship and just a few points behind Valentino and this is very encouraging. It has also been a very positive weekend for Bradley who improved a lot in every session and he managed to score his first MotoGP top 10 finish. The race was hard and he had some good fights with Andrea and Pirro and this was very interesting to watch. At the end he managed to pass Pirro and finish close behind Dovi, which is a very strong result. We leave Jerez very confident for the upcoming challenges, and the next one will be our all-important home race in Le Mans where we are already really excited about going there.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow will start tomorrow’s Gran Premio bwin De Espana from fourth position on the grid after the British rider experienced a day of contrasting fortunes at the Jerez track today.

The British rider’s sparkling form in the early part of 2013 continued this morning when he topped the timesheets in FP3 with a best time of 1.38.975 that was close to a full second faster than Dani Pedrosa’s current lap record.

Crutchlow was looking strong and confident to continue that hot streak of form in hot and sunny conditions in FP4 when he crashed unhurt at Turn 5 while placed inside the top three.

The 27-year-old was determined to bounce back from the earlier spill to challenge for a second front row start of the 2013 World Championship campaign when he fell heavily in a dramatic 15-minute QP2 session.

Pushing hard to try and move into the top three, Crutchlow lost the front of his YZR-M1 machine at the final corner shortly after the halfway stage. Demonstrating tremendous determination and courage, Crutchlow rushed back to the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team garage to immediately return to the track and try again to clinch a place on the front row for the ninth time in his MotoGP career.

But despite a heroic effort he had to settle for a best time of 1.39.262 that was only 0.291s away from Marc Marquez in third. Crutchlow underwent medical checks in the Clinica Mobile immediately after the session after complaining of lower back pain but he has been given the all-clear to start tomorrow’s race.

Teammate Bradley Smith will start the 27-lap race from 12th position after he enjoyed a positive day at the Circuito de Jerez.

Smith produced a brilliant display in QP1 to post a lap of 1.39.990 that put him into one of the top two places he needed to advance into QP2 where the top 12 grid positions are determined.

Satisfied to have claimed a place on one of the front four rows for the third time in his rookie season, Smith was less than 0.5s away from a top 10 place on the grid. And the 22-year-old is confident he can battle for a second successive points scoring finish in tomorrow’s race, which is predicted to take place in searing heat and humidity in Southern Spain.

Cal Crutchlow 4th 1.32.262 – 6 laps :
“It has been a very difficult day for obvious reasons. The two crashes were very big but the second one was particularly hard because it was very fast. The first crash the temperature was quite a lot different from the morning and I just got caught out and it was my own mistake. In the second crash some people felt there was something on the track but I don’t think that was the case to be honest. I made a mistake in the braking and rather than going straight the front brake level locked into my hand. But this was a really big crash and I’m proud that I got back to the garage and went back out to try and go faster. It seems in the warmer conditions it is quite difficult but I am not the only one feeling this. I’m looking forward to the race and we will make some changes with the bike to try and improve the front feeling in the hot conditions. It seems everybody is struggling and it is not like me to have two crashes in one day. I’m a bit battered and bruised but it won’t stop me from giving it 100% in tomorrow’s race.”

Bradley Smith 12th 1.40.356 – 8 laps :
“It was a great job to get into QP2 again today because I really had to fight to make that happen. My race pace is quite good and I am confident but it is going to be a very long and difficult race in the heat. I need to be confident when the tyres drop because it looks like the grip drops down a lot after only three laps and tyre management will be vital. I have made slow progress again all weekend and once again I am working on the same things I’ve been trying so far since I first rode the YZR-M1 machine. It is my riding style and how I am riding the bike where I need to work on but tomorrow is another learning day. I need to get a good start and see if I can follow some of those in the top 10 to get as much as experience as I can.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow made a flying start to the European phase of the 2013 MotoGP World Championship today, the British rider launching a stunning challenge for the top three in both practice sessions at the Circuito de Jerez.

Fourth quickest in cooler than anticipated conditions in FP1 this morning, Crutchlow was only 0.046s outside of the top three to continue his fantastic form at the Jerez track.

The 27-year-old battled for the podium right to the finish line in Jerez a year ago and he produced an impressive performance in the final winter test session at the Spanish venue in late March to top the timesheets.

With air and track temperatures increasing significantly in bright and sunny conditions for FP2, Crutchlow was able to improve his pace and position to once again comfortably finish as the fastest non-factory rider.

A best lap of 1.39.733 elevated Crutchlow into second place behind reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, who was only 0.171s quicker in a session that saw the top five split by just 0.327s. The former World Supersport champion finished third fastest on the combined leaderboard and after such a positive start to the weekend, Crutchlow is optimistic he will be in the hunt for a podium in Sunday’s 27-lap race.

Bradley Smith enjoyed a productive start to his weekend too, the 22-year-old helped by the fact that he has lapped the Jerez track previously on the YZR-M1 machine during the winter testing schedule.

He took it steady this morning with a track temperature of only 20 degrees and a lap of 1.41.778 put him 17th on the timesheets. Smith was able to improve by almost a second in hotter conditions for FP2, which saw the track temperature soar to 45 degrees.

Smith lowered his pace to a 1.40.990 and that lap time secured him an encouraging 13th on the FP2 leaderboard and 14th overall, with the British rookie hoping he can take another big leap forward tomorrow to challenge for a place in the top 10 on the grid for round three of the 2013 World Championship.

Cal Crutchlow – 3rd 1.39.733 – 40 laps:
“It was quite a tough day because we made a lot of changes that meant the bike was set-up completely different than the way we had it at the test. We made it a little bit longer and lower to give me a good feeling because while I was able to set the fastest time at the test, the track temperature was much higher today and it meant the bike was not working perfectly with the set-up we ran at the test. I was changing bikes during FP2 and doing a lot of laps to try as many things as possible and I am positive for the rest of the weekend. We’ve got a few ideas to improve even further tomorrow and I will sit down with my crew tonight and have a good look at the data to come up with a plan of attack for the rest of the weekend. My Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is doing a great job again and being competitive and fast today gives us a lot of confidence to take into Saturday and Sunday.”

Bradley Smith – 14th 1.40.990 – 41 laps:
“The nice thing about today is I was able to go a little bit faster than I managed at the test, so the gap to the front is still quite similar. I haven’t lost anything but I’m a little bit disappointed that I didn’t gain anything as well. I am a lot happier after this afternoon’s session though and my main focus was on trying to ride the bike in a smoother way. It is so important to be smooth on a MotoGP bike and I’m still working on that. I’m losing most of my time in sector 4 and we’ll check some data and see where I can improve. But it was another good day of learning and I’m looking forward to taking another step forward tomorrow.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

In his blog posted on his official website, Bradley Smith looks back on the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas and the experience of opening his championship points account at the stunning circuit…

I’ve opened my MotoGP account. It may be a small step and 12th is not where I want to finish but to pass the chequered flag for the first time represents a real step forward for me and the team. This was one real tough weekend and we came through it with those points and wealth of invaluable experience which gives us real confidence for the start of the European season. The problems started even before we turned a wheel at the unbelievable new track just outside Austin.

A battery in a starter motor caught fire in our garage on Wednesday night/ Thursday morning which set off the sprinkler system. All our equipment was soaked and it was same story for factory Yamaha team, LCR Honda and Cardion AB.The sprinkler system and the local fire brigade did a great job and without them everything could have been destroyed. The team also did a remarkable job to dry everything out and we got out on time for the first practice session. I struggled with the track giving very little grip which made learning the technical long circuit very difficult. Both the grip and I improved in the second session but I was a long way from the top riders going into Saturday.

Trying to understand the bike and Bridgestone tyres around such a technical track with so many blind corners and elevation changes was tough but I got a real boost on Saturday afternoon. I did not finish in the top ten after practice and so had to take part in the first qualifying session. I finished second and joined the top ten in the second session and finally qualified 11th which meant a fourth row start.

Bridgestone advised me to run a hard front tyre for the 21 lap race and it took me a few laps to understand how it worked. Also I was very tentative in those early stages not wanting a repeat of the Qatar crash. As I gained more confidence I could up the pace without that fear of crashing again. Towards the end I was lapping as fast of some of the riders in the top ten and as quick as my qualifying times. Although I was tired I could have done with the race going on even longer and that was real sign just how much better I was riding the bike. I honestly was learning a little bit more on every single lap.

The star of the show was obviously the winner Marc Marquez. I was not that surprised because nothing ever surprises me about Marc. It was also another great ride from my team-mate Cal Crutchlow who rewarded all the hard work and setbacks for the team with fourth place.

The Circuit of the Americas was not the only circuit I made my debut on in America. The previous weekend to the Austin race I went to the legendary Laguna Seca circuit in California for some learning laps on a Yamaha road bike before the American Grand Prix in July. It was awesome and what a track. Everybody told me the Corkscrew was the bend of all bends but I actually thought the next bend the left hand Rainey curve was even better. I can’t wait to go back. I then went on for a couple of brilliant days at Colin Edwards’s Texas Boot Camp. We had such a good time riding dirt bikes, and laughing with Colin and some of his mates. Highly recommended for anybody who just wants a great time. Just ask Steve and Matt from the BBC but don’t get Steve to show you the scars on his elbows. Once a road racer always a road racer.

The Texas experience has given me some real confidence going into the next round at Jerez in Spain. I can’t believe it was four years ago I won my first grand prix there in the 125 cc race. So much has happened since then but that’s all in the past. My aim is to start that first day of practice quicker than I did in Austin and be much closer to the top ten in the race. That’s the next step on a very long ladder.

Source: bradleysmith38.com
Photo: Tech3 Communications

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow will start the inaugural Grand Prix of the Americas from fourth place on the grid after the British rider just missed out on a front row spot for the second race in succession in 2013.

In a breathless 15-minute QP2 to decide the top 12 grid positions, Crutchlow produced another fantastic qualifying performance in gloriously sunny conditions at the new Circuit of the Americas (COTA) to set a best time of 2.04.267.

That put him in fourth position and just 0.167s from claiming a ninth front row start in his MotoGP career. Crutchlow’s phenomenal progress throughout his first visit to COTA was confirmed in FP3 and FP4 when he secured the fourth best time, the 27-year-old improving his pace set yesterday by two seconds to move up from sixth. He knocked another big chunk of time off his pace again in QP2 and is confident that he can fight for a place in the top five in tomorrow’s 21-lap race.

Bradley Smith’s second appearance for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team will start from 11th on the grid. The British rider ended the opening three practice sessions in 12th position, a result that meant he just missed being seeded straight through to QP2 by two places.

Smith knew that a top two placing in the 15-minute QP1 session would secure him a spot in QP2 where grid positions for the first four rows are decided. A best lap of 2.06.591, which was over 1.2s faster than his previous best all weekend, brilliantly put him into QP2 and continued his climb up the order to qualify in 11th by overhauling Ben Spies.

Cal Crutchlow 4th 2.04.267 – 7 laps
“I am really happy to qualify in fourth, even though it would have been nice to be back on the front row again. But coming here with no previous track experience meant it was always going to be an uphill battle, so to finish so close to Lorenzo and be ahead of Bradl and Valentino, who both tested here last month, is a great achievement for myself and the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team. This is a long and technical track but fortunately I have been able to learn it very quickly and my crew have also got their heads around what I need to go fast and together we have done a great job to be so far up the grid. I’m obviously quite a long way off Marquez and Dani but so is everybody else. It will be a really tough race and very physical for 21-laps but having come here without any prior track knowledge, I always said a top six finish will be mission accomplished for me and that remains my goal.”

Bradley Smith 11th 2.06.740 – 6 laps
“It has been a really hard two days but in the end it turned out very well and I’m happy with my performance. Trying to understand the bike and the Bridgestone tyres around this incredibly technical circuit has not been an easy task but it is nice that I made it into QP2 and then pick up another place on the grid as well to start from 11th. At one stage it didn’t even look like I’d make it through to the final qualifying so I’m happy. I improve each time I go out and to be honest going into QP1 was a benefit for me because it meant I got a few more laps under my belt to understand the track more. My only goal for the race is to make it to the finish after the crash in Qatar. I need to gain experience over a race distance and while 21-laps here is going to be really tough, I am really looking forward to it.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

Faced with the difficult challenge of learning the long and technical track, which features 20 corners, the longest straight on the 18-round MotoGP calendar and a 134ft climb from the start line to the first corner, the 27-year-old excelled in both 45-minute practice sessions to challenge for the top six throughout.

He impressively dropped his pace in this afternoon’s FP2 by well over four seconds compared to the opening 45-minute session to move up from eighth to sixth in the rankings.

Crutchlow ended with a personal best time of 2.06.899 to finish just 0.031s behind Valentino Rossi. And all five riders that finished in front of the former World Supersport Champion have previous experience of COTA having attended a private test session at the state-of-the-art facility near Austin last month.

Conditions today were far from ideal despite a glorious clear blue sky covering the track. A cold wind resulted in low air and track temperatures, which had a big impact on grip levels.

A slippery surface provided the biggest challenge for British rider Bradley Smith, who only felt confident enough to push anywhere close to his limit towards the end of FP2. Smith finished 13th fastest in FP1 and although he was able to shave close to four seconds off his pace this afternoon, he remained in the same position on the combined leaderboard.

He finished the day with a quickest pace of 2.09.424 and the 22-year-old is confident that with more track knowledge to call upon tomorrow he will be challenging for a place inside the top 10.

Cal Crutchlow 6th 2.06.899 – 33 laps
“Firstly I want to say a huge thanks to my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 crew, management and staff at Yamaha and Dorna and COTA officials for helping us get out on track today. The fire in the garage on Wednesday night wasn’t the ideal start to the weekend but my crew have worked non-stop to get everything ready for today and I am proud to work with them. Today was always going to be difficult because this track is really technical, difficult to learn, and you need time to be able to learn all the secrets to go fast. So to be sixth fastest and make such big progress is pleasing. We expected the gap to the front to be quite big and honestly I thought I’d be a little bit further away. I got held up a few times on my good laps too so I’m sure I could have gone a bit faster. This track is amazing with so many different challenges from hard braking, fast straights and lots of changes of direction. We still have a lot of work to do and it will be difficult to be near the front in the race. I need to improve in the braking area. We need to calm the bike down but to be the best of those that didn’t test here is all I can really ask for.”

Bradley Smith 13th 2.09.424 – 33 laps
“It was great to finally be on track today and get a first taste of what is an amazing track but incredibly difficult to learn. After the fire in the garage on Wednesday night my crew and even my old team from Moto2 have been working flat-out to make sure we were ready. So just being on track felt like a big achievement today. This morning was very difficult because I have never ridden with such little grip, and that doesn’t help you learn the track. Going into this afternoon where we did have grip, it took me a while to actually adapt to the track. We improved the bike and I felt much more comfortable at the end and we have a direction to follow for tomorrow morning. What is critical is being able to put the bike where you want and at the moment I am struggling in that area. You have to be so specific here but I am happy to be four seconds faster this afternoon. That’s good progress but I need to make the next step. I know my weak points and I will be ready to make the improvements.”

Source: Tech3 Communications

Bradley Smith has shared his thoughts on Qatar and his steep learning curve in MotoGP in his blog over at Crash.net

“Just when I thought I was getting to grips on riding a MotoGP bike I found out the hard way that I have still so much to learn.

I’m on the plane to LA still hurting mentally from the crash because I was so determined it was not going happen in my first race, but in the bigger picture it was a another massive step forward in understanding what MotoGP is all about.

I sat on the line in Qatar telling myself I must not crash. I was so careful in the early laps still banging out the same message. Then the confidence started to flow and fired up by the massive progress we’d made in practice and qualifying I started to push on.

It was the first time I’d ridden the Yamaha in race conditions with a full fuel load and on new tyres. When the tell-tale signs began that I was pushing too hard I ignored them because I’d never ridden the bike to this level before. I continued to up the pace when the front end tucked under at turn seven and down I went. I was desperate to get back in the race but one of the handlebars was broken and my MotoGP debut in the desert was over.

I’d not been complacent but I’d taken my eye of the ball when I started to push on and was starting to think I can do no wrong on this unbelievable motorcycle. I will not get caught out again in the same way. It was such a shame because up till then the weekend had gone brilliantly and the whole MotoGP experience was an absolute eye opener.

In practice and then in the new short sharp qualifying session we made an amazing progress. We started to really get to grips with the settings and I was happier and feeling at home on the bike. My first aim was to get into the first ten in practice which I did to go automatically in to the final qualifying session. It was new to everybody with just 15 minutes and be sitting on the third row of the grid with World Champions Valentino Rossi and Alvaro Bautista for the race just continued to make it an awesome weekend.

Everything is so different about MotoGP compared to anything I’ve experienced before.

The grid before the race was like a Hollywood movie set under the floodlights. Photographers, cameramen and VIPs are milling about all over the place and it did make me nervous, but also loving it deep down. In Moto2 and 125 I liked to sit on the bike with my helmet on in my own little world.

No chance in MotoGP where I had to speak to the television cameras and meet VIPs before getting back into Bradley world and concentrating on the race ahead.

I had just over half a day at home in Oxford before flying out to the States where I’m going up to Laguna Seca in California to learn the circuit on a road bike for a couple of days. In 125 and Moto2 we did not ride there and so it’s important before the race in July and I can’t wait to ride the Corkscrew.

Then it’s over to Texas to join in the fun at Colin Edwards’s Boot camp before the second round of the Championship at the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Only the factory Honda and Yamaha teams, plus Stefan Bradl have tested there and so it will be a new experience for most of us. It looks a very technical track and a big challenge.

My big challenge is simple – take on board what I learnt the hard way in Qatar and finish my first MotoGP race.”

Source: Crash.net