Smith gets tech boost

Bradley Smith’s hopes of enhancing his world championship reputation have been bolstered by the arrival of MotoGP-winning engineer Juan Martinez in his Repsol Honda 125 team.

Martinez has been signed to work as Technical Director, overseeing Smith’s 125 squad, and the factory Repsol 250 outfit that will field Shuhei Aoyama and Julian Simon in 2007.

Martinez brings a wealth of experience that will benefit Smith, as he served as Sete Gibernau’s crew chief in the Gresini Honda squad and also joined the Spaniard last year at Marlboro Ducati.

Martinez was at the helm for all of Gibernau’s nine premier class wins and previously worked at HRC as a Showa suspension technician.

He left Ducati at the end of last season when Gibernau announced his retirement from racing after an injury-hit campaign riddled with bad luck.

Smith said: “He’s brilliant. He sits in on all our debriefs and his experience can only help me.”