Smith: Test rider mindset "out the window" for Aprilia races
New Aprilia MotoGP recruit Bradley Smith says his test rider mindset will go "out of the window" when he makes his first wildcard appearance of 2019 in Qatar.

Smith was appointed to spearhead Aprilia's new test team as part of a major shake-up for the 2019 season, with Andrea Iannone being brought in to replace Scott Redding and ex-Ferrari man Massimo Rivola being recruited to take on the responsibility of running the Noale firm's MotoGP operation.
The Briton was present for both end-of-season tests last year at Valencia and Jerez, and ended up taking over Aleix Espargaro's bike for the majority of the latter test after the Spaniard was hit by illness.
Smith is set to make five wildcard appearances this season, and although his exact schedule has yet to be determined he has said he will be on the grid for the Qatar season opener in March.
Asked by Motorsport.com how he planned to balance his test rider responsibilities with a desire to perform in his wildcard outings, Smith insisted he will be "there for myself" on the weekends he races.
"At the end of the day, I’m going to attack every race like I have done before," said Smith, who is also contesting the inaugural MotoE season for SIC Racing on top of his Aprilia commitments.
"The nice thing for me is I’ve ridden all this season, I was there for Valencia at the last race and I’ll be there for the first race with Aprilia. The fact that I’ve been at all the tests also, I’ve not had any time off.
"I’ll be there at the Qatar test preparing for the wildcard. In certain aspects I have to work for the team, but everyone understands that also I’m working for the wildcard.
"When I’m there for the wildcard, I’m there for myself. I’m there to put the Aprilia as far up the grid as I can, which means I’ll only be focusing on me and making this bike as fast as possible.
"The test rider [mindset] goes out of the window until I have to come back to my day job."
Smith added he feels that having a fast test rider present will help boost the level of the Aprilia's regular race riders Espargaro and Iannone, based on his experience of working with KTM tester Mika Kallio.
KTM even came close to replacing Smith with Kallio towards the end of 2017 based on the Finn's impressive wildcard outings, before finally deciding to honour the remainder of Smith's two-year contract.
"We’ve seen the benefit of having a fast test rider, we’ve seen the bike progress in a better way and we’ve seen a little bit the extra pressure of having a test rider at the track boosting the performance of everybody," said Smith.
"You just have to look at [Michele] Pirro coming in as a test rider [at Ducati] – maybe it doesn’t impact the factory team but certainly it affects all the privateer bikes, they feel they have to step up to the mark as well.
"Manage it in the right way and it has a positive impact on performance."

Bradley Smith, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
Photo by: Gold and Goose / LAT Images

Previous article
MotoGP to retire Hayden's number
Next article
New Yamaha MotoGP team reveals livery for debut season

About this article
Series | MotoGP |
Drivers | Bradley Smith |
Teams | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini |
Author | Jamie Klein |
Smith: Test rider mindset "out the window" for Aprilia races
Trending
Marc Marquez is back
MotoGP Starting Grid: Portugal Grand Prix
MotoGP Winglets
How Yamaha's rookie-spec MotoGP star is taking charge
Fabio Quartararo is on a roll in 2021 after storming to victory at a venue five months earlier served up one of his worst races. Contrasting Portuguese GPs for Yamaha's factory duo make it hard to understand just how good its 2021 MotoGP bike is, but the Portimao weekend did at least expose one key improvement compared to 2020
The hurdles Marquez faces next in his Portugal MotoGP return
Even by Marc Marquez’s own high standards, his MotoGP comeback on Friday at the Portuguese Grand Prix will be considered a success even if he didn’t top the times. But having shown competitive pace on his first day back, both Marquez and his rivals know plenty more challenges are to come...
Where does Espargaro sit ahead of Marquez's return?
Pol Espargaro’s first results as a Honda MotoGP rider may not appear special. But dig a little deeper and a clearer picture of his performance emerges. And, as Lewis Duncan writes, it’s cause for celebration at Honda with the return of Marc Marquez set to provide Espargaro with the reference he has been missing so far this year
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
Why MotoGP's stewards must revisit Miller and Mir's Losail clash
Despite Suzuki’s decision not to appeal against Race Direction’s refusal to penalise Jack Miller following the incident with Joan Mir in Losail, something must be done to avoid a repeat of such an incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy
Why MotoGP’s top gun looks more dangerous at the Doha GP
Lightning hasn't struck twice for Maverick Vinales since 2017 and his wayward form of recent years makes predicting how he'll fare each MotoGP race weekend tricky. But fresh from his Qatar GP win, Vinales looks like an even more dangerous prospect for the Doha GP following an intriguing Friday practice.
Why MotoGP’s new Amazon Prime series is long overdue
OPINION: MotoGP is getting its own version of Drive to Survive on Amazon Prime at some point in the near future. It was news welcomed by the grid’s leading riders. And following the impact DTS has had on Formula 1, MotoGP desperately needs the same boost.
The key changes behind the latest 'return of the Mack'
Maverick Vinales’s authoritative victory at the MotoGP season opener came during a period of personal and professional change for the Yamaha rider. Can it be the springboard for a title challenge?