Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team rider Pol Espargaro keenly awaits the 12th round of the 2016 MotoGP season at the iconic Silverstone circuit where he intends to storm to victory in the satellite bike battle. The young Spaniard, who currently sits as the top independent rider in the World Championship standings, endured a challenging time at the previous round in the Czech Republic amid torrid weather conditions. Yet, after undertaking a confidence-boosting test at the Brno track, he remains confident of finishing as close as possible to the factory MotoGP bikes at the high-speed British circuit.
On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team pit box, Bradley Smith will unfortunately miss his home Grand Prix as well as the San Marino GP due an injury which he sustained from a crash in the Oschersleben 8 Hours practice which caused ligament damage to his right knee. The entire Monster Yamaha Tech3 team would like to wish Bradley Smith a fast and full recovery. As a result of Smith’s injury, Pata Yamaha Official World Superbike Team rider and Suzuka 8 Hours winner, Alex Lowes will step in for the next two rounds. The 25 year old recently sampled the Yamaha YZR-M1 for the first time at the Czech test and will seek to learn as much as possible in his inaugural MotoGP event, in front of the British fans.
Pol Espargaro
Championship: 7th - Points: 81
"I have to start by saying that I am sorry for Bradley who is missing the next two races because of his injury but I am sure that he will be back stronger than ever in the future. Regarding myself, I am looking forward to the British Grand Prix and I aim to get back to where I belong after the tough Czech GP. Silverstone is a circuit which I have always enjoyed riding at because it is very fast and a lot of fun aboard the YZR-M1. I think we can do a good job there, especially after the positive test in Brno. One thing that could make things trickier for us is the weather in England, and it has been known to rain on more than one occasion in the past! We have had a few wet GP’s recently, so I truly hope that it stays dry, but regardless, we will be ready for any situation. I won the Moto2 race in 2012 at Silverstone and I also finished in 6th and as the fastest satellite rider in my first year in the premier class so I have had some positive times there and I aim to add to that this weekend. Therefore, I am fully determined to close the event with a strong performance."
Bradley Smith
Championship: 15th - Points: 42
"It goes without saying that it’s a huge shame to be missing out on my home GP. First and foremost, I have to say a big sorry to the team and to the British fans for not being able to put on a show this weekend. At the moment, I am trying to get myself as fit and healthy as possible, and things are moving in the right direction. We’ll be working closely with a physiotherapist for the next week in order to try to recover quickly and fully from the injury. I’ve already scheduled a meeting, in a weeks’ time, with the surgeon so that we can find out the exact time frame with this injury. The situation has happened and I’m very thankful to everyone who has helped me in the last four or five days, including Monster Energy, the Yamaha Austria Racing Team, everyone at Tech3 and also all of my doctors, physiotherapists, and surgeons. We are doing everything that we can to be back racing as soon as possible. I wish the best of luck to my team this weekend with their new rider Alex Lowes, and I am sure that he’ll do a fantastic job."
Alex Lowes
Championship: Not classified - Points: 0
"First of all, I just want to say how sorry I am to hear of Bradley’s injury. It sounds like he has been extremely unlucky and I hope he gets well soon. With regards to me getting this opportunity, of course it’s genuinely a dream come true. I’m sure that I’ll have to pinch myself on Sunday when I’m sitting on the starting grid with Rossi, Lorenzo, Marquez etc. However, I have no expectations at this point. I simply want to learn as much as I can from everyone around me. I personally want to thank everyone at Yamaha and Tech3 for giving me this opportunity."
Hervé Poncharal - Team manager:
“Next up is Silverstone and unfortunately, we are very sorry to say that Bradley won’t be able to ride at his home race due to the injuries which he sustained in the Oschersleben 8 Hours event. We wish him a full and swift recovery and we know he’ll be back on track soon. Alex Lowes will replace Brad for the next two races and I want to say thank you to Paul Denning and the Pata Yamaha Official World Superbike Team for their cooperation. In addition, I also want to welcome Alex and wish him luck for our short, but important, time together. Silverstone is a circuit that he knows very well, but he has no pressure from us with regards to results. Plus, the local fans will get behind Alex and cheer him on throughout the weekend. On the other hand, Pol has a strong record at Silverstone and we know that he is keen to get back to work. He made some progress at the Brno test and we are confident in saying that we hope that he will finish not far behind the factory MotoGP bikes when the chequered flag drops on Sunday. The weather in England is sometimes a tricky affair, and it goes without saying that we want it to be dry. However, we will be prepared for any condition and hopefully, both riders can put on a good show for the British fans.”
