Smith states Brno pole intention in adverse conditions

Bradley Smith was the fastest 125cc rider in the second practice at Brno on Saturday morning as he won a close battle with team-mate Nico Terol for top spot on the timesheet. The Brit was eventually 0.077s faster than his rival with a best time of 2’08.885, posted on his 16th and final lap of the 40-minute run.

The start of the session was delayed by 30 minutes due to poor weather conditions as heavy fog had descended on the circuit following an overnight thunderstorm, with damp patches lingering on the track at the start of the session.

That did little to curb Terol’s enthusiasm however and the Spaniard, who topped FP1 on his return from injury, vied for top spot with Smith throughout. Terol was the only other rider to get under the 2’09” marker alongside his team-mate. Third quickest was Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher (Stipa-Molenaar Racing), almost eight-tenths of a second further down on Terol.

A quick final lap from Pol Espargaró (Tuenti Racing) lifted the title contender to fourth, although at 1.402s off Smith’s marker. Sandro Cortese (Avant Mitsubishi Ajo) and Johann Zarco (WTR San Marino Team) completed the top six.

A notable absentee when the action did commence was Championship leader Marc Márquez (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) who sat out following his dislocated shoulder in practice on Friday. The 17 year-old hopes to be present for this afternoon’s qualifying session.