Pol Espargaro completed the beginning of the second half of his debut season in the premier class by riding to a brilliantly undertaken 5th place in Indianapolis. The 23 year old began the race from 6th on the grid after a successful qualifying campaign and rocketed forward to be close to the leading MotoGP bikes for the opening lap. On the 7th lap, Espargaro set into a confident rhythm matching the times of the leading five, with the reigning Moto2 World Champion rapidly closing down the 6th place of Andrea Iannone and passing him on lap 12 to clinch the position. Espargaro then firmly set about taking time out of the Factory Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso, before dispatching him on lap 20 and meeting the chequered flag in a well deserved 5th place. His efforts today saw Espargaro achieve the highest speed on a Yamaha with 341.8 kmh, as well as aiding his advance to 6th in the World Championship standings.

Bradley Smith bounced back from a fall yesterday where he damaged his finger to show resilience and scoop a top points scoring finish in 6th. The 23 year old began the 27 lap sprint around the 4170 metre Indianapolis circuit from 9th position on the grid before launching himself up to 8th at the first corner and into the mix with the factory bikes for the first lap. Smith was shuffled down into 10th place by the end of the opening lap, but his gutless determination prevailed as he set into a forceful rhythm moving up to 7th with twelve laps to ride. His formidable race pace saw him running1’33 laps at the midpoint of the race and as Smith powered onwards, he closed in on Factory Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso on the penultimate lap. The British star successfully overtook him to bring his Monster Yamaha Tech3 YZR-M1 across the line in 6th, concluding an impressive ride and lifting him to 9th in the championship.

Pol Espargaro - Race : 5th - Championship : 6th Points : 78

"I'm reasonably happy, as it has been a good race but not an incredible one. We collected important points for the championship, I learned a lot as well today and we definitely gave our best so I have to be satisfied with the result. In addition, having just the four factory bikes in front of me I can’t complain too much. My start was ok and at the beginning I tried everything to stay with Dani, but during the opening laps he was really strong and escaped quite quickly. Afterwards my race was a very lonely one until I caught Dovizioso, then I tried to push a bit harder to open a gap to him and later on I just tried to not to make any mistakes. Indy has been a good start to the second part of the championship but I'm already looking forward to Brno next week where I aim to improve further."

Bradley Smith - Race : 6th Championship : 9th - Points : 58

"Overall, I am really pleased to get a strong result and finish in the top 6, although I was maybe a bit too cautious at the beginning with the hot conditions here causing the front wheel to tuck an awful lot. However, I remained calm and remembered how long the 27 laps are, so I aimed to preserve my rear tyre as much as possible and then came back strongly during the second half of the race. In fact, around the mid section of the sprint, I put my head down and lapped mid 1’33's as I was chasing after Pol and Andrea Dovizioso, who I overtook with just 2 laps to go. Obviously, it was a big confidence boost to see the finish flag finally in such a good position which is where I want and need to be. Now I'm looking forward to the next race in Brno where I will try to continue to climb up the rankings."

Hervé Poncharal - Team manager :

"Overall, it was a great race for us today and I am very happy with the results. This morning we were a bit uncertain and concerned about what the weather would be like especially after what had happened in the last two races but luckily it remained dry. It was a very exciting albeit chaotic beginning to the 27 lap race however when everyone settled down, Pol was with the leading group and managed to stay with them for some time. He never gave up and in the end managed to pass Andrea which was a great effort. On the other side of the garage, Bradley also had an exceptional race considering his massive crash yesterday and the state of his finger but he rode like a real champion so I am very proud of him along with Pol. I want to thank them both for their efforts, as well as the whole team. The next challenge is already around the corner and we are ready to battle for top results once again in Brno in a couple of days."

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