Britain’s Bradley Smith is aiming for a strong result at this weekend’s Valencia MotoGP finale and believes he can finish close to satellite champ Cal Crutchlow after a season that hasn’t gone to plan for the Oxfordshire copper-top.
It is Smith’s final outing with the Monster Yamaha squad before he rolls out on the KTM in testing on Tuesday at the Spanish track, where he will once again line-up with Pol Espargargo.
"After a long time together, this week will be my final outing with Tech3. This season is my sixth year in this team and it goes without saying that it will be hard to say ‘Au Revoir’ to the crew on Sunday afternoon. The guys who I have worked with have always done a great job, which gives me full motivation for Valencia where I really hope to end on a high,” said Smith.
“The back-to-back events went well and I scored some valuable points despite my recovering knee, therefore in Spain, I will fight to be as close as I can to the leading satellite position. 2016 has not gone exactly to plan and it’s a pity to be finishing the year much further back from where I wanted to be in the rankings. However, we never gave up and after achieving sixth in the Grand Prix 12 months ago, I am confident of a positive conclusion. I won the 125cc race in 2010 at Valencia, the year before I joined Tech3, and the venue has been good to me so I am very confident about scoring a solid result for my team."
