Pol Espargaro delivered a solid performance at Yamaha’s home grand prix to cross the finish line in 8th position at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit in today’s round 15 event of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship. The reigning Moto2 World Champion who won his title in Japan last year, leapt off the line from 7th on the grid to retain his grid position by the close of the first lap. He was then pushed back a place but locked into a firm race pace to defend his standing of 8th, a position he proceeded to hold at half race distance. However, the premier class rookie firmly set 7th place in his sights and began consistently inching closer to Stefan Bradl. On the last lap, Espargaro had impressively reduced the gap to close right in on the rider but despite an audacious late charge and an attempt to overtake, he wasn’t able to pass. The seamless performance by the 23 year old Spaniard, who was attending his first race in Japan aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP bike, boosts his championship point score to 116 with only one point separating him from 6th position with three rounds remaining.

Meanwhile, Bradley Smith rode a firm and tireless race to clinch 9th position at the stop and go Twin Ring Motegi track. The young British rider began his challenge from 10th on the grid and ascended up one place by the close of the first lap as he looked to make further ground in the field. He then set into a competitive rhythm as he stayed with his team mate just in front of him in 8th. By the mid point of the 24 lap dash in Japan, Smith remained in this position and battled onwards as the laps proceeded to count down at the hard braking 4801 meter circuit. The 23 year old set his fastest lap on the 15th as he continued to push thoroughly right to the finish line which he crossed in 9th at Yamaha’s home Grand prix. This result leaves the British star fully confident for the two remaining flyaway races where he intends to clinch further point scoring finishes to boost his standings in the World Championship.

Pol Espargaro - Position : 8th Championship : 7th Points : 116

"It goes without saying that 8th isn't the position where I want to be and I can't hide my disappointment. It was a tough race today and I just never felt comfortable and couldn't go any faster. My start was an ok one and I did recover a position initially, but I struggled a lot in stopping the bike on full fuel load. From the middle of the race on, I regained some tenths every lap to close the gap on Bradl who was in front of me but unfortunately I caught him too late and couldn't find a way through. At each corner I lost a lot in acceleration so I tried to make it up whilst braking at every turn, but it just wasn't enough. I guess this is all part of my learning experience and we have to analyse our data now to see where we can improve for the next round in Phillip Island in just a couple of days."

Bradley Smith - Position : 9th Championship : 10th Points : 92

"Although 9th position is nothing to be hugely excited about, there are still a lot of positives to take from today’s race. In terms of the distance back from the leader, I would have been inside the twenty second bracket with Pol, had I not made a small mistake with three laps to go. However, my finish today was still one of the closest for me this season, which is a good step forward. I made this mistake on the first corner which unfortunately caused me to miss out on potentially fighting with Pol and Bradl, so I completed the race in 9th. This position seems to be where we are at right now or at least for this race and I extracted the most from myself and my motorcycle here in Motegi. However, in Philip Island I am sure that we can have a better result as it is a track that I really enjoyed last year on the Yamaha, which performed well. So, I hope to take the consistency and the positives from here and turn it into a stronger result in Australia next week."

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