Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider Pol Espargaro will launch from the head of the second row for round 4 of the MotoGP World Championship in front of his home fans at Jerez, after a superbly executed performance in qualifying 2 in very hot weather conditions. The young Spaniard began his day with a notable finish of 2nd in this morning’s FP3 session with his flying lap of 1’38.547 being merely 0.054 from the top time and left him fully confident of a strong performance in the qualifying 2 dash. After the session commenced, the 2014 rookie of the year leapt into action straight away and set his best time of 1’38.539 on only his second lap out of six which was strong enough to clinch 4th when the chequered flag fell. Espargaro’s effort saw him finish as the leading satellite bike in the field and also agonizingly close to the front row which he was just 0.071 back from. Nevertheless, his performance leaves him highly optimistic of seizing a top result tomorrow in the 27 lap sprint in his home country.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team garage, Bradley Smith will kick-start his fourth round MotoGP campaign from 10th position on the grid in Andalusia at the highly anticipated first European GP of the year. The 23 year old rider began his day by finishing in 9th with a top lap of 1’38.924 in FP3, which allowed him to pass straight through to Q2. With the ground temperature at a scorching 53 degrees, the 15 minute shootout got underway and Smith set his fastest time of 1’39.491 on his third lap around the 4.4 kilometre track. He unfortunately suffered a fall at the end of the session, yet was not injured and he will start from the 4th row tomorrow and intends to follow up his two consecutive top six finishes this season by battling for the position of the leading satellite MotoGP rider once again.

Pol Espargaro - Position : 4th Time : 1'38.539  Laps : 6 

"I am super happy with my performance today and it was a positive day overall for us. We had two sets of new tyres for qualifying practice 2 which meant that we opted to do two runs only. During the second, my first lap was really strong but unfortunately, I made a slight mistake and ran wide in the third sector of the circuit. Everything is so tight in this championship so even the smallest of mistakes can cost you a lot of positions. Therefore, the result leaves a bit of a bitter sweat taste in my mouth as I could have been on the front row, but at the same time I am very happy, especially after the tricky qualifying that we had in Argentina. I am definitely looking forward to the race tomorrow even though we all know that factors usually change a bit overnight. Valentino is behind us and of course he will have a strong showing, but we intend to have a good start and then stay with the guys in front. The key for tomorrow will be tyre management especially in these incredibly hot conditions, but I am very excited to be racing again in my home country and I will do my best to put on a good show for the fans."

Bradley Smith - Position : 10th Time : 1'39.491  Laps : 8 

"Overall, it was a tricky day, but to qualify in tenth is not so bad after the challenging weekend that we have had so far. Unfortunately for some reason, this afternoon when we switched from one bike to the other, due to the fall in FP4, the feeling on the bike was completely different. The second crash that I had today, in Q2, was entirely my fault and I missed the braking point and ran onto the gravel so I am sorry to the team for this, as it was my error. Even if this position is far from ideal, we have already shown this year that we can bounce back strongly so now we need to analyse our data and make a plan for tomorrow. This morning I felt that my race pace was quite positive, so we have to get back to that level. It will be a tough race for sure due to the heat and tyre preservation will be crucial, but I will give it my all as always."