The long winter period of four months will finally come to an end as Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro arrive in the Middle East ahead of the highly anticipated, opening race of the 2014 MotoGP season under the floodlights.

The Commercial Bank of Qatar Grand Prix is held at the 5.4 kilometre long Losail International Circuit which lies just outside the capital city Doha, and features a main straight of over 1km in length. All racing sessions are held at night time whereby the circuit is lit up by over 3000 lights, a truly unique spectacle for the fans and riders alike.

Bradley Smith arrives feeling confident of being able to fight within the top 10 on Sunday as he enters his second, full time MotoGP campaign. The young British rider had a very productive pre-season, in which he completed many testing laps experimenting with numerous aspects of his bike. Smith is excited about the potential of his new Yamaha YZR-M1 and together with his Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team he looks forward to the opening session on Thursday.

Pol Espargaro is entering his rookie year in the MotoGP class, having superbly clinched the Moto2 World Championship last year. The young Spaniard had a very positive pre-season in which he adapted to his new Yamaha YZR-M1 quickly and comfortably, and proceeded to set impressive lap times at the Sepang and Qatar tests. Despite carrying a small injury, confidence remains high for Espargaro who is prepared and keen to embark on his MotoGP adventure with the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team.

Bradley Smith #38:

“I am really pleased with how the winter testing went, and I can’t wait to get started! These first three races are going to be vital and I’m feeling far more confident and at ease on the bike than I was on my debut here at Qatar last year. I am feeling happy with what was achieved here with testing and this means that we are definitely hitting the ground running. The desert is always a bit unpredictable, but we are prepared. We have already done a lot of very good laps in the pre-season, and I am really excited for round one!"

Pol Espargaro #44:

“I’m really looking forward to the first race here on Sunday. My shoulder is better, and I don’t think it will affect or limit me too much, even if it’s still not fully healed. I am really looking forward to my first racing experience this weekend and I will give it my all during every session, although, of course, there is still a lot to learn. If we battle with the other satellite riders we will have done a good job. Pre-season was very good as we covered most of the things we needed to, and as a result I feel prepared and confident. We can do well here at Qatar this week.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager:

“I am excited for the opening race, after what was quite a long time off during winter and I am confident that Bradley and Pol are ready and will do well this season. Last year was a very good rookie year for Bradley, who has been working hard through the winter to digest everything he learnt during 2013. He is somebody who likes to understand everything before giving his all and he was very focused with testing this year. I believe he will surprise people. Pol’s ambition for the season is to learn, we know he is already fast, and even if the injury here during the last test might not be the ideal way to kick off the season, I’m convinced he will do a fantastic job. We are very happy to have him with us and for sure he will deliver some great racing. Yamaha has once again provided a fantastic package, which is very competitive and our two young riders who are eager to fight, so let’s get the season underway and go racing!

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