Endurance: Bradley Smith to race 8 Hours of Oschersleben

Bradley Smith will join the Yamaha Austria Race Team for his second foray into endurance racing later this month, as the MotoGP racer lines up for the 8 Hours of Oschersleben to help the team clinch their second endurance world title.

Smith gained previous endurance experience last year when he won the Suzuka 8 Hours with the factory Yamaha squad – but says when YART team boss Mandy Kainz made the offer it was too good to refuse.

“I’m very excited to announce that I’m going to be racing with the YART team at the 8 Hour of Oschersleben. I was originally in contact with Mandy a few years ago to do the Suzuka 8 Hour race but it never actually came through and then I ended up racing for the Yamaha Factory Racing Team last year.

TOP STORIES

• Event: John McGuinness and Mick Grant to appear at new Classic Bike Live show
• This week’s issue: World Exclusive New Norton
• Ulster GP: Joey Dunlop’s son to make Dundrod debut
• Dealer special: Yamaha MT-09 Tracer on sale
• Strange case of the Ducati adventurer and the lost wallet

“This year we have been in contact again and I rode the Spielberg racetrack during a two-day test with a bike supplied by Mandy and his team. We continued to keep in touch and after great performances by his team, with Broc Parkes and Marvin Fritz, they are very close to a championship win. It’s all resting on the round in Oschersleben, so I’m proud that they have decided to choose me as a rider to help support them in the final race of the series.

“I love endurance and I loved the Suzuka 8 Hours last year so it just seemed a perfect fit and a great way to help the team finish off the job and hopefully become World Champions. I want to thank Monster Yamaha Tech3 for supporting me. It will be a busy five weeks for us now that the second half of the MotoGP season is about to kick off. I’m looking forward to it closing the season in a positive way!”

Smith will join BSB racer Broc Parkes, who reignited the team’s title hopes with an impressive fourth at Suzuka, as well as German Martin Fritz – a squad that boss Kainz says Smith will fit well into.

“We are very excited and proud that Bradley will join the team for the final round in Oschersleben, which will be a very important race for us. The road to the top has not been easy for us this year. At the first race in Le Mans we had only two riders to complete the 24-hour race and in Portimão we were a little unlucky to be forced to make an extra pit stop, but our determination to keep fighting never diminished.

“The results in Suzuka were great and thanks to that, and the continuous effort of the team, we are very close to winning the championship. With the addition of Bradley to our already strong rider line-up we are certain we will be in with a good chance to fight for the title and we can’t wait to get started.”

The race takes place on the 25-27th August.

DON’T MISS MCN’S BRITISH GP MEGA-ISSUE – Glossy poster + 32-page special preview + magic Brit GP moments + Rossi bikes model offer. On sale August 24th.