WORDS: DANGEROUS BRUCE IMAGES: PHILIP PLATZER/SEBAS ROMERO
If we’re talking about proper factory signed British Grand Prix racers, and not those who’ve deputised for teams along the way, the last time we had such a Brit flying the flag in the premier racing class was Niall Mackenzie on the Lucky Strike Suzuki RGV500, way back in 1990. Okay, unless you count the Jeremy McWilliams’ Aprilia Cube efforts or KTM’s exploits with Señor Shakey Byrne. But neither of the latter rides seemed to pack the credentials of what’s now being offered to Oxfordshire’s most established GP rider.
Having rocked the world on his Tech 3 Yamaha in 2015, finishing the highest Brit and sixth overall in the MotoGP standings, it’s fair to say 2016 was a forgettable season for Bradley Smith. Well, unless you factor in his unprecedented signing for the KTM Factory Racing team. In a move that saw him depart from the satellite team which had been his host for six years – in both Moto2 and MotoGP – it begs to question, what prompted the 26-year-old’s decision? And what is he hoping to achieve behind the bars of arguably the most exciting, and different, Grand Prix motorcycle to be lining up on 2017’s pleasantly full grid? Time for a chat…