Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team riders Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro look optimistically towards the Indianapolis Grand Prix this weekend, where they will battle for two top tier results after the MotoGP summer break. Both riders are feeling confident after winning together in the legendary Suzuka 8 Hour race for the Yamaha Factory Racing Team as they clinched a superb hat trick including pole position, the fastest race lap and the victory. This performance leaves them primed for a successful second half of the 2015 season and they will look to battle as close as possible to the factory MotoGP bikes in America at the famous brickyard circuit.

Britain’s Bradley Smith undertook a highly successful run in the opening nine rounds and currently sits in joint 5th position in this year’s World Championship standings as he leads the MotoGP satellite battle by 21 points. The 24 year old rider will intend to improve on his result of 6th from last year, at the 10th race of the season. On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team garage, Pol Espargaro will aim to bolt forward when the lights go out in Sunday’s 27 lap sprint and fight for a top finish aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1. The young Spaniard has fond memories of the GP after finishing last year’s event in 5th and will seek to kick start the second half of the year with a strong showing.

 Bradley Smith -  Championship : 6th Points : 87 

"It’s time to go back to work and jump on the Yamaha at the Indy circuit which is a track with such a huge amount of history and it’s always fun to go racing there. The summer break was great for me, although there wasn’t a lot of rest! Pol and I contested in the Suzuka 8 hour race which we were able to win after the special support from Yamaha. It was a dream come true, although not just to compete in it, but to also finish first! The whole thing really fills me with confidence for the second part of the year in MotoGP and I am certain that I can continue my strong form from the opening nine rounds where I finished no lower than 8th in all of the races. In my first year in the premier class, I completed this GP in 8th and then last year, 6th and I hope to go one step further this year! Our base setting has worked really well at all of the races so far, therefore hopefully we will have a good start and get everything ready for the main event on Sunday, even if it’s quite a tricky circuit to master. However, I am ready for the battle and can’t wait to speed over the bricks on my Yamaha in Indianapolis."

Pol Espargaro -  Championship : 9th Points : 64 

"I am really excited to get on the M1 in America and start fighting in MotoGP once again. It was amazing to not only participate in the Suzuka 8 Hour race, but also grab pole position, set the lap record and win the event! Yet, this weekend it will be time to switch to MotoGP mode and put my Monster Yamaha Tech3 leathers back on which I am primed for. I am feeling optimistic of repeating last year’s result of 5th and we know we can run close to the factory bikes, which is what I will be aiming for. In terms of the track itself, it’s a bit challenging with ten left corners and six right, but coming out of that last corner and speeding down the famous straight is awesome! For sure, it will be a long event on Sunday but if we do our homework and get my Yamaha setup in the right way as soon as possible, then I know we can achieve a solid qualifying position and run well in the race. I am looking forward to putting on a good show for the superb American crowd as well as to seeing my Monster Yamaha Tech3 team again."

Hervé Poncharal - Team manager : 

"Next up is Indianapolis, a circuit that we all look forward to visiting. I’m sure that riding the famous oval on a MotoGP bike is an amazing feeling and the fans really do get excited about the event there. The summer break gave everyone in the team a chance to relax, unwind and get ready for the second half of the year. However, both Brad and Pol were in Japan and represented Yamaha at the Suzuka 8 Hour race. The result was fantastic for them and gave Yamaha their first victory in 19 years, so hopefully they can transfer some of that success over to MotoGP and get a great double result this weekend. Last year went well for Pol and Brad as we finished in 5th and 6th. The level of competition has risen this season, but both riders are intending to do the same and fight to be the leading satellite bike. We must all work together in order to give them the best package, but we are very confident that they can both have a good weekend in America before we head to Brno.”