At the halfway point of the MotoGP season Bradley Smith sits in sixth place in the standings and is the top satellite rider and British rider, following a series of impressive results. Despite his achievements, Bradley’s summer break will be cut short as he gears up for the Suzuka 8 Hours where he will join Monster Yamaha Tech 3 teammate Pol Espargaro and JSB champion Katsuyuki Nakasuga in the Yamaha Factory Racing Team. Bradley took time out with us to share his expectations for the race, his thoughts on the Suzuka circuit and how his MotoGP experience could prove to be a valuable asset for his team.
Q. This will be your first time racing at the Suzuka 8 Hours. How does it feel to be invited by Yamaha to participate in what is probably the biggest motorsport event in Japan?
“It’s a big honour to be considered for the factory Yamaha team, I know this is a very important race for Yamaha especially in their sixtieth anniversary in racing. Also with the new Yamaha R1 being launched at the beginning of this year, I feel both honoured to take part but also a little bit of pressure to perform.”
Q. It’s incredibly hot and humid at the 8 Hours; will you do any special physical conditioning or training ahead of the race?
“I’ve already started to prepare for the race with different training and systems in place ahead of the Suzuka 8 Hours. It won’t be easy to go from the UK where its 16 degrees to Suzuka where it will be extremely hot and humid but I am confident I can perform in the conditions.”
Q. Did your experience in using Bridgestone tyres in MotoGP help you become acquainted to the Bridgestone-shod Yamaha R1?
“The good thing is that the R1 I’m using at Suzuka already feels like my M1 I use in MotoGP and the fact that we use Bridgestone tyres in MotoGP means I am used to the feedback I get from the tyres. Of course they are a little bit different to our MotoGP tyres, but the DNA of the Bridgestone MotoGP tyre is still there and they worked well in testing.”
Q. Tyre management is a key aspect of endurance racing. One thing you work at hard in MotoGP is getting a good pace out of used tyres, so do you think this experience will help you when racing the 8 Hours?
“I think that one of my strengths in MotoGP is getting good pace out of used tyres and using electronics to manage how my tyres perform over long distances. I hope that I can use this skill to benefit my team so that I can be fast and consistent during my hour-long stints. This could be quite valuable for the team as a whole.”
Q. As for the Suzuka circuit itself, it’s one of the most famous circuits in the world – what was it like riding it? Did you have any favourite sections?
“I really love riding at Suzuka, it was better than I expected. Everyone I talked to said how much fun it is to ride, but it really is great and I love the undulations and blind corners. I would say my favourite part is the ‘S’ Curves as I really enjoyed riding through that part, but also 130R at the end of the back straight.”
Q. The last time Yamaha won the ‘8Tai’ was 1996 – there must be quite a bit of expectation on everyone in the team to deliver a historic victory for Yamaha’s sixtieth anniversary?
“Yes there is a lot of expectation, but we know the job we need to do and Yamaha have given me Pol and Nakasuga a fantastic package. Nakasuga-san has taught us a lot as he helped to develop the bike and has the most experience at Suzuka so yes, we expect the pressure but all of us want to win and bring the trophy back to Yamaha Motor Corporation.”
Q. Final question; in one word, summarise how you expect the Suzuka 8 Hours race to be.
“I would say it’s hard work, but in one word; ‘tough’.
With victory in the 2014 8Tai, Bridgestone took a record 9th consecutive victory at the event, which is open to all tyre manufacturers. With a start line-up for 2015, will they be able to make it 10?
