UK: MOTORCYCLING/MOTORCYCLE RACING: British teenager Bradley Smith and Italy's Mattia Pasini introduced as riders of Spain's Polaris World team

Record ID: 792037

  • Title: UK: MOTORCYCLING/MOTORCYCLE RACING: British teenager Bradley Smith and Italy's Mattia Pasini introduced as riders of Spain's Polaris World team
  • Date: 1st March 2008
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FEBRUARY 27 2008) (REUTERS) WIDE VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE WITH JOSE LUIS HERNANDEZ, CEO OF SPONSORS POLARIS WORLD, 125CC RACER BRADLEY SMITH, 250CC RACER MATTIA PASINI, AND TEAM BOSS JOSE MARIA DE LA PUERTA BRADLEY SMITH AND MATTIA PASINI INTRODUCED (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) 125CC RIDER BRADLEY SMITH SAYS: "For a Spanish team to show the support
  • Embargoed: 16th March 2008 12:00
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  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA39ALO5HBFS6B246AOMBJ6LJ7F
  • Story Text: While Formula One has fierce rivalry between the Spanish camp of Fernando Alonso and the English driver Lewis Hamilton, it's a Spanish team that is hoping its new English signing can challenge for the 125cc world championship in 2008.
    Bradley Smith, the 17-year-old rider for Polaris World's 125cc team, topped the time-sheets at Jerez during testing and was second during tests at Valencia. This came after Smith left his former team, exchanging a Honda for an Aprilia which he has praised for its extra engine power.
    Smith was in London on Wednesday (February 27) with the man he has replaced in the 125cc team, Italy's Mattia Pasini who has moved up to the 250cc class.
    Smith first rode in 125cc world championship races in 2006 when he was aged 15. Last season he took one third place at Le Mans and a handful of top ten finishes to finish tenth overall. His pre-season form suggests the Aprilia will boost him towards the top five.
    "For a Spanish team to show the support and back me as a rider is fantastic for me and a real big honour," Bradley Smith said.
    "So I will be working hard this year to repay them with the results and, like, payback the faith they have shown in me. Last year was my second in the world championship and I got a podium position in France in Le Mans. You could say this has given me a taste to do better this year and I will be working hard to get up onto the top step and put Polaris World and everybody right at the top."
    Pasini has found the move to 250cc harder with problems with the 250cc machine during testing. The Italian finished fifth in last year's 125cc championship, winning four races.
    "This year is the season for me to gain experience, however as always we are here to win so we will work towards it," he said.
    The riders are off to Qatar to prepare for the season's first race on March 9. In a radical move by the organisers the first race will be a floodlit night race, run in the evening.
    Smith is looking forward to official testing which begins on Thursday (February 28) and lasts for five days, with sessions for all classes of racing. Smith said he expected the floodlighting would not cause problems but suspected changing temperatures, winds and possible sandstorms might affect the tests.
    "I think maybe temperature is going to be a key factor, I think maybe it is going to drop because you are in the middle of a desert, in the day it is warm but at night it does get cold and I remember the last two years when the sun goes down you have to put a jacket on so we will have to see," said Smith.
    "It gets very humid at night, the wind comes up and being in the desert there's, like, sandstorms and stuff. We're going to have to see and play it by ear really. But it's going to be a good show and a good spectacle, I hope so anyway," he added.
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