Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Bradley Smith produced a superb start at his home Grand Prix weekend by storming to 3rd place overall at the end of the first day of action. The British rider, who is looking to conquer the 12th round challenge with a top point scoring result, kicked off proceedings at Silverstone by finishing the opening practice in 7th position aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1. This left him optimistic for the afternoon session where he sought to continue making adjustments to the setup of his MotoGP bike. When FP2 began, Smith determinedly pulled out of the pit lane and got straight to work in front of his fans. In the final third of the practice, the young Briton delivered a superb time of 2’02.531 on his 13th lap which saw him end the day in the top three and merely 0.193 back from the leading time. His confident run today leaves him fully charged for a strong performance in qualifying tomorrow.

On the opposite side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pit box, Pol Espargaro concluded the opening shake down of the British Grand Prix with a positive run to 7th position overall. The 24 year old Spaniard took to the track this morning and embarked on making steps forward with the setup of his Yamaha YZR-M1 in order to battle the fast flowing circuit. At the end of the practice, Espargaro produced his best time on his last lap, which left him in 9th position and ready for the action in the afternoon. Here, he continued getting up to speed at the Northamptonshire track and tirelessly completed a total of 17 laps which marked his determination as he sped to a solid time of 2.02’972 on his final run. This result saw him finish just four tenths behind his teammate and now the 2013 Moto2 World Champion optimistically looks on to the all-important qualifying session tomorrow at the 5.9 kilometre circuit.




     
 Bradley Smith  - Position : 3rd Time : 2'02.531 Laps : 28 

"It was a great start to my home GP and it’s clear to see that the Yamaha is working really well here for me. I always have good confidence when I compete at Silverstone, especially with my riding style, and I’m not afraid of high speed circuits as we saw at Phillip Island last year. Initially we struggled a bit in FP1 as the track conditions were not fantastic, but in the afternoon the grip levels increased and we were then able to analyse both compounds of front and rear tyres which was positive. We are unsure of what the temperature will be on Sunday, so we need to be ready for anything. Yet, it’s fantastic to start the British GP in this manner and after signing my contract, there is no stress and I can completely focus on my job. The team made a fantastic effort today but of course, we expect the other guys to catch up tomorrow. Nevertheless, our performance here means that we can start FP3 with confidence as we aim to continue improving whilst working on the base setup for the race. Also, I must give a big thanks to everyone for coming out today and we’ll see what we can do tomorrow."

     
 Pol Espargaro  - Position : 7th - Time : 2'02.972 Laps : 34 

"It has been a solid start to the weekend as we finished seventh overall which could turn out to be quite important if the weather conditions are going to change tomorrow. However, this morning we had to face a few issues due to the track conditions and the grip level was very low, so my confidence on the bike was not at its highest. But the team did a good job and the surface also became cleaner this afternoon, so we managed to find some setup solutions which made me feel much more comfortable on the bike. Therefore, this is of course, really positive for tomorrow. In addition, we have been able to evaluate both rear tyre options which gives us a clear direction for the rest of weekend. It goes without saying that there is still a big margin of improvement which can be made, so we will use this afternoon to have a deep look into the data in order to be prepared for all circumstances tomorrow."