It is not uncommon to see factory endurance teams tapping into their WSBK and MotoGP riders for the Suzuka 8-Hours race, stacking the odds in their favor at the very prestigious and important Japanese race. But, we rarely see these marque names outside of Suzuka.
That being said, Bradley Smith will be joining the factory-backed Yamaha Austria Racing Team (YART) at the 8 Hours of Oschersleben, the final round of the FIM Endurance World Championship.
The reason for this is pretty simple: YART is tied for second, only eight points back from winning the FIM Endurance World Championship, and vying for the top spot with nine other teams mathematically in contention.
Smith is no stranger to riding on the endurance-spec Yamaha YZF-R1, helping the Yamaha Factory Racing Team win the Suzuka 8-Hours last year, with teammate Pol Espargaro. Readers will remember that Alex Lowes raced with Pol Espargaro this year at Suzuka, securing a repeat of the previous year’s performance.
With 35 points up for grabs in Germany, Bradley Smith will join Broc Parkes and Marvin Fritz in an effort to bring YART its second world title (the first being in 2009).
With the Oschersleben 8-Hours now on his plate, Smith will race in five back-to-back races, starting with this weekend’s Austrian GP in Spielberg.
“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,” explained Bradley Smith.
“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!” finished Smith.
Source: Yamaha Racing
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