Pol Espargaro produced a stellar display to clinch 6th position as the leading satellite bike aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 at Silverstone in today’s 20 lap thriller with 138,000 thousand fans attending the race across the whole weekend. The Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider opened the day by clinching 3rd place in warm up as he made the final setups adjustments for the race around the 5900-meter British circuit. The sun was shining over Northamptonshire when Espargaro kicked off proceedings from 8th on the grid to finish the opening lap in 9th. After initially slightly struggling to set into his rhythm, the 23 year old Spaniard found himself fast approaching the group of three in front, battling for 6th which included his team mate. His strong pace saw him continuously close down the pack and surge past to claim 7th by lap ten with the next target being Ducati rider Andrea Iannone who Espargaro breezed past on lap 16. The reigning Moto2 World Champion then continued his good rhythm to gap the group and cross the line in 6th position. His top finish here sees him add to his tally in the MotoGP World Championship standings as he remains in 7th position after another strong result for the premier class rookie at Silverstone.

Home Hero Bradley Smith suffered incredible bad luck at his home circuit after undertaking a bright start but then entering the pits on lap 12 due to a cracked rear wheel. Smith started the 20 lap race from 7th on the grid and as the lights went out, the 23 year old leapt forward and locked into his strong race pace whilst biting at the heels of the factory MotoGP bikes. He undertook an expert overtake to seize 6th on the fourth lap and became involved in a fierce battle with Andrea Iannone, exchanging some memorable moves. However, the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team rider entered the pits at the mid point of the race due to an unusual feeling in the rear section of his bike, which transpired to be a broken rim. Yet the British star persevered to the delight of his fans and headed back out on track to once again set competitive times before finishing in 22nd position due to the unscheduled pit stop.

Pol Espargaro - Race : 6th - Championship : 7th Points : 88

"All in all I have to be pleased with 6th position today as the beginning of the race was not an easy one. It took me quite a while to find my rhythm because we went for a bit of a gamble with running the harder front tyre which we never tried during the whole weekend and I was losing a bit of time just after the start. Luckily the longer the race lasted, the more we were able to recover and I managed to pass the riders in front of me and finished just behind the Factory boys and Dovi, who escaped from us during the opening laps. Still this is not where we want to be as the gap to the leader is quite big, but we will continue to work to be stronger in Italy for the next round of the Championship."

Bradley Smith - Race : 22nd Championship : 10th Points : 65

"Obviously I didn’t end up in the position that I had hoped for this weekend. Unfortunately, we had a cracked wheel in the race but we don’t know exactly when or why it happened. I tried to stay out and fight through it but it just got too dangerous to ride. When we changed it, I proved that I have the pace for 6th. It was a good weekend up until the race and the team did a great job, but these things happen sometimes. It’s really disappointing for all of the fans who came to support me, who were fantastic and went crazy when I was on my cooling down lap. So I won’t be defeated just yet and have to learn from every experience. I will again try to give it my all in Misano in two weeks time and give the British fans something to cheer about."

Hervé Poncharal - Team manager :

"I can't say anything different other than I feel truly sorry for Bradley as he had a great weekend so far. He pushed hard without doing any mistakes, had a good qualifying and made a great start. He was battling with Vale for the opening laps, until suddenly his pace dropped dramatically and we suspected it might be due to a technical problem. Brad entered the pits and it turned out to be a cracked rear rim. The issue itself happens once in a lifetime, but to happen during the race and in front of his home crowd is more than unlucky. However he got back out on track and again rode some really competitive lap times, but it won't remove the bitter taste in our mouths. We know he should have gotten 6th, as this was his pace but unfortunately this will not be written in the storybooks or championship standings. On the other side of the garage Pol rode a good race. He had a bit of a slow start due to his tyre choice, but pushed really hard and had a great pace at the end. He finished as the leader of the group behind the front guys which is very good for his confidence after the DNF in Brno. He will surely only get stronger and stronger. Now we will head to Misano where we hope both riders can see the chequered flag and finish in a strong position."

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