Round eight of the MotoGP™ World Championship is just around the corner and Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) is approaching the weekend with the same determination as ever. His goal of ending as the top Independent Team rider remains unchanged after a disastrous weekend in Barcelona. Although his race was cut short in Barcelona, Smith made up for it by completing the most laps of any rider in the post race test; 83. Smith is looking to be immediately fast from FP1 and try to recreate his past success in Assen, having finished third there in the 125cc and Moto2™ classes.
The 2016 edition of the Motul TT Assen marks a distinct shift for MotoGP™’s most historic race as the traditional Saturday race day has been moved to the conventional Sunday. This means the action will start on Friday with Free Practice 1 commencing at 09:55 Local Time with the race itself set to begin at 14:00 Local Time on Sunday the 26th of June.
Bradley Smith: “The last GP ended in a disappointing way for me, yet, I know that I could have ended the Cataluña race well, so I will remain optimistic for the forthcoming Motul TT Assen. It will be the first time that we race there on a Sunday, and it goes without saying that I want to kick off the new schedule with a good performance. The circuit is definitely a unique one and it is a track where I have had success over the years, with two podium finishes in the lower classes. We still have some catching up to do on my teammate, but after the constructive test in Cataluña, I am certain we can get back to where we need to be. A lot of English fans make the journey over to the cathedral of speed so I will do my absolute best to give them a lot to cheer about.”