The Brit earns KTM their first top ten of the season after Espargaro topped the morning Warm Up session
Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) secured his and KTM’s best result of the 2018 season after crossing the line tenth at the Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland.
The British rider has become renowned for his lightning launches off the line and it was no different at the German GP, getting himself into the top ten after starting P17 which allowed him to battle with the likes of Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) and Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3).
“I got a fantastic start and put myself in a great position,” said Smith. “I was a little disappointed in the middle of the race, I made a mistake and lost time compared to Dani and Johann because I think I could have stayed with them for the whole race. Yeah, these things happen when you’re pushing on the limit but nevertheless we come away with a top ten, the best result for KTM this season and hopefully this is the start of things to come.”
In just its second year, the KTM is the newest bike on the premier class grid. But with KTM Motorsport Director Pit Beirer saying there will be a new engine for the riders in Brno, Smith hopes this result is a sign of things to come in the second half of the season – a part where they were stronger last season.
German GP: Multi-OnBoard Start
“Last year the second half of the season for KTM was very strong so we’re excited to go to the tracks at this end of the calendar and hopefully we can be this competitive or around this area. We give the guys as much data as we possibly can and let’s see what they can do in the two weeks and be ready for Brno.”
And what about the number 38’s future after his fantastic result? Positive, but a MotoGP™ ride remains doubtful. “To be honest everything changes day-by-day, different opportunities, doors and windows happen so particularly with this type of result of course it’s only positive for my future so let’s see what happens in the next week or two, again I don’t think I’ll have a ride or a MotoGP bike in 2019 which is obviously a shame but you’ll see me around.”
On the other side of the garage, teammate Pol Espargaro’s Sunday was bittersweet. The Spaniard went quickest in morning Warm Up, only to crash out of the race after just three corners. Espargaro was left thinking what could have been: “I’m sad, I think we had a really good opportunity to show our colours. This morning it was really good, we finished first and yeah, it was the worst moment to happen when it happened and in the Czech Republic we’re going to try a little bit harder.”
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