Smith proud of Toseland achievements

Demonstrating his passion for motorbikes this weekend Newcastle United´s Alan Smith is buzzing with excitement at the Alice Grand Prix de France and has been soaking up the atmosphere with friends at Le Mans, staying in the campsite at the French circuit with thousands of similarly dedicated fans.

The former Leeds United and Manchester United player, who has made 19 international appearances for England, had some kind words to say about his fellow Yorkshireman James Toseland, when he spoke to motogp.com.

`It´s nice to see British lads doing well,´ said Smith of the Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP rookie. `There has been a lot of speculation, a lot of talk, about James and I think everyone is so proud of what he has achieved so far. I had a chat with him and he said probably the easiest round so far was Qatar because he knew the track.´

`The next few weeks are going to be difficult because he has never been to these circuits. He has done well and I think he is seventh for the start of Sunday´s race here, so he is quite confident and he has learned the track quickly. So he said the next few races will be hard but when we get to Donington he will be looking to get himself on the podium.´