Tech 3 Racing's Bradley Smith walked away unscathed from a 120mph crash during the final day of pre-season testing at Jerez in Spain.
Smith bit the dust on his Mistral 610 machine at the fast Turn 12 in the afternoon, but recovered to set the 14th fastest lap (1m 42.978s), just 0.5s outside the leading half dozen riders a the Spanish circuit.
“It has been a very positive test, despite the crash at the end at Turn 12. It was a very fast crash and I'm just thankful I've got away with just a few bumps and bruises and I will be 100% fit and ready to go in Qatar,” Smith said.
“I was pushing hard on new tyres and just lost the front, but we have learned a lot about the Mistral 610 this week, which makes me optimistic for the season.
"We have some work to do when you look at the lap times of the guys at the front, but I'm convinced we have a competitive package. I can lap comfortably and consistently inside the 1.43 bracket but when I push for a 42 it is not easy,” he added.
“But I am still really happy with the performance of the Mistral 610. We have improved the overall balance of the bike, particularly with stability on the brakes and corner entry. The Tech 3 Racing Team has been working unbelievably hard throughout the winter and at every test we have improved the bike.
“I'm a lot more confident on this new bike we have tried here, so I am looking forward to going to Qatar and starting the season with a strong result.”
Smith's Belgian team-mate, Xavier Simeon, was 19th fastest.
source: crash.net
