Bradley Smith turns down MotoGP move in 2012
Added on Saturday, September 10th, 2011 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
Bradley Smith turns down MotoGP move in 2012
While a move to MotoGP might be a dream for many, Moto2 rider Bradley Smith wants to make sure he gets the experience needed before moving up a class to MotoGP and has turned down an offers from various different teams.
The Oxfordshire based rider says that he wants to make the step up on his own terms, saying: “It’s not that I don’t believe I’m ready for the challenge, it’s my long-term goal but I want to do my career the way I want to do it.”
Smith is already poised to finish third in this year’s Moto2 class, and says that he wants to remain in a class where he knows that he can win races. This season he’s picked up three podium wins and is currently in fifth place in the Moto2 standings, only 10 points behind third. Smith said: “It would be nice to go for a title hunt in 2012 and give myself another chance. I’m only going to be 21 years old and have a long future ahead of me.”
The 21-year-old rider has already said that he has plenty of offers from various different teams, and that he will make his final decision on Sunday evening, after the Aragon race. Smith said: “I definitely have quite a lot of interest on the table. At Aragon it will be the last opportunity for the teams that are enquiring and then on Sunday evening I make my decision.”
He went on to say that it’s not just about the most expensive bike or machinery, rather that it’s about the long term goals and the evolution of motorsport. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team remain one of the possibilities for Smith in 2012, but he has yet to make any decision about who to work with.
Although he has resisted the urge to delve straight into MotoGP, it’s not because of a lack of ambition, the young rider says that once he takes that step, he wants to make sure that he can stay there, and be able to challenge the best riders on the track.
“Going into MotoGP is a big-time deal. It needs to be at least a two-year deal to give yourself the best chance to develop,” he said.
“I’m not sure if it’s maturity or craziness. The easy option would be to follow my heart and my dream but I want to be more than that. It’s what has made me make the decision to stay in Moto2.”
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