Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/298857
INTERVIEW BRADLEY SMITH P84 team has changed a little bit. Cal [Crutchlow] is not around so the spotlight comes back on both Pol [Espargaro] and I together. Maybe me a little bit more on me as being the more experienced rider. Pol is a different character. Obviously he's come off a very great season last year as Moto2 champion. I also think it's diffi- cult coming straight into MotoGP without having the experience. You have to understand that when Cal came into the team – and a lot of the time that Cal was with the team – we actually lived together. I've stayed around the house with Lucy [Crutchlow's wife]. I've traveled in their mo- torhome. We've been to the beach together. We've been training so many hours side- by-side on bicycles. There is a strong relationship between us " I'D MUCH RATHER THAT THEY SAY THAT I'M A FAST MOTORCYCLE RACER, RATHER THAN A LIKEABLE GUY. " -Bradley Smith Race weekends are very differ- ent. You have two 45-minute ses- sions in a day and that's a lot dif- ferent than many hours on track to do a lap time. It's very differ- ent. There is extra focus, extra PR, extra adrenalin, extra nerves. He's a great guy and I think we get on fine. We've been rivals for a very long time and that carries on into this season. But we have a lot of respect with one another and a good rivalry that will help us perform rather than be negative." Cal Crutchlow walked into the Tech 3 box today and it was as if a long, lost family member had returned home. two and that obviously created a very friendly atmosphere during my first season as a rookie, but maybe not the best atmosphere to get the best from me. I actually like the fact that Pol is here. He keeps me on my toes, he keeps me focused, he keeps me sharp and he keeps me pushing for- ward. Maybe last year I had the right environment. I enjoyed my season and I warmed into Mo- toGP. I had a lot of good people around me, including Cal as a teammate. This year it's now time for me to step up and maybe not enjoy it as much and have more pressure on me from the other side of the garage. What's your takeaway of the COTA circuit? It's a very technical track and anyone that wins here really knows what they're doing. It's a very physical track, as well. If you imagine those switchbacks in turns 3, 4, 5 and 6, you're doing easily between 100 and 120 miles an hour and trying to get a 160- kilo machine to go left to right and right to left and left to right. Doing all that at those types of speeds isn't easy. Physically it takes it out of you here. Also here, you go from 210 miles an hour down to 40 miles an hour. That type of G force on the brakes takes a lot out of you. It's a very technical track. One last question: Who were your motorcycle racing heroes? And are they British? No, my motorcycle racing hero was Ricky Carmichael. Ricky's dominance and the way he went about his work and the revolution that he created inside motocross and Supercross amazed me. He was a guy that I would like to be. The way he went about his busi- ness and all that was awesome. He was a guy who I'd like to be, I suppose. At one point I'd like to be dominant like that. That was the biggest inspiration that I have. I was a ginger-haired kid and Ricky was the guy kicking everyone's butt. It doesn't really matter his sport being different than mine, it was just that guy and the way he went about his work and how he was as a person. CN