Bradley Smith has been familiar with the paddocks for a while now. Unfortunately, for many years, he has struggled to find a stable place in a competitive team doing freelance work that is not always rewarding given the man's talent. How is this descent into hell explained? What future for the friendly Englishman?
In 16th position in the general classification at the time of writing, Smith is struggling on the handlebars of his Aprilia. Who could predict such a future for this fighter, this warrior so appreciated by fans at the height of his career. A little trip down memory lane, just to paint a portrait of the Oxford native.
After a thunderous debut in the Spanish championship, Smith joined the Repsol development program. Pushed by Alberto Puig himself, he entered the 125cc world class in 2006 but the beginnings were very difficult. Bradley is still only 16 years old and is beginning to develop his greatest strength: Work.
Smith is not a natural talent. Over the seasons, we can notice his evolution on the bike, revealing hard work. To get an idea, let's use the numbers. He scored 20 points in 2006, 101 in 2007. All in the same team. Hat.
Smith is the perfect profile of the discreet pilot, performing well in all conditions. Photo: Mathieu Pelletier.
The move to Aprilia Polaris in 2008 freed him: Il scored 150 points this season, and played for the title the following year. The battle against Julián Simón is fierce, but Smith does not give up. He won his first race at Jerez, then confirmed at Mugello. Despite everything, he cannot reach Spanish on mission. His 223,5 points scored were not enough. 2010 should have been his but with 223 points, he only finished fourth.
In four years, it went from 50 to 223 points in one season. At the time, Smith was considered a very tough pilot, a real English-style force. He changed category and joined Tech3 for 2011 and 2012, making the team and the Mistral 610 happy.
The connection with Hervé Poncharal and his teams is almost natural. Smith is the perfect archetype of the Tech3 driver: He fits perfectly with the philosophy of the Bormian team. It is only natural that he climbs into MotoGP in this same team.
A magnificent story will emerge from this collaboration. Smith will have impressed more than one, that's for sure. Mentally, only a few drivers could compete. Even injured, the Englishman was there and it was difficult to forget his absolutely terrible finger injury. He suffered but said nothing, continued to perform at the highest level.
Photo: Michelin Motorsport.
In 2013, Tech3 and its black motorcycles scared everyone. Fading the British tandem Crutchlow/Smith should not have been easy for the opponents, but it was undoubtedly a brilliant duo for the team to manage. The consistency shown by Bradley Smith was astounding.
He suffered no retirements from the 2014 Italian Grand Prix until the 2016 French Grand Prix. Moreover, thanks to 26 consecutive points appearances – from Misano 2014 to Termas de Rio Hondo 2016 – he is ahead of drivers like Dani Pedrosa or Jorge Lorenzo in this statistic. For information, Valentino Rossi counts 28.
But isn’t that ultimately the problem with Smith?
Is he not a victim of his regularity? In 2016, injuries and fatigue took their toll on his season, prompting a transfer to KTM. Smith had only had one bad season in his career thus far.
The equation is quickly solved. Smith is not spectacular enough,
not fancy enough for MotoGP.
Unfortunately, we will tend to prefer drivers who are less consistent but capable of winning, rather than hard-working drivers like Smith, who fight and give 100% every race weekend.
The two seasons at KTM were extremely complicated. He was perfectly suited to riding the Yamaha. It's not really surprising that he couldn't get used to this beastly and unstable machine.
A detour to Aprilia to test, a season in MotoE and here we are in the present. The rest of his career is uncertain and this must have an impact on his steely mentality. Ultimately, his case is rather sad. Smith is a fighter from the middle of the grid, doesn't talk for nothing and never gets involved in any antics.
It seems that this no longer necessarily represents qualities for MotoGP teams. On paper, an enthusiast championship such as the British Superbike could revive it... But a reliable future in MotoGP seems compromised.
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport.
