Bradley Smith seeks podium challenge

Bradley Smith is hoping he can recapture the form that propelled him to a brilliant victory in the Italian GP last year as he seeks a first rostrum of the season in Mugello this weekend.

Smith is still chasing his first podium of 2010, though he showed signs of returning to his best when he narrowly missed the top three in an exciting French 125GP clash in Le Mans last month.

The Aspar Aprilia rider said: “I am looking forward to going to Mugello, a circuit where I know I can be fast. I always enjoy riding there and I have good memories from the last two seasons.

“I’m excited because at Le Mans we took a big step forward with my bike, I got my feeling for it back and we were competitive again. For me it is almost as if the season starts here because I’m back on the pace I showed last year.

“Mugello is a technical circuit with a lot of bumps and elevation changes, so you need a stable bike to cope with that.

“I always enjoy racing in Italy because it feels like a second home to me so hopefully this year it will be good to me again and I can be fighting for the podium.”