AXO rider Bradley Smith battled hard to another impressive top 10 Moto2 result at a cool and cloudy Twin Ring Motegi circuit in Japan yesterday.

Smith got a decent start from the second row of the grid and held fourth place on the opening lap, but a lack of rear grip in the coolest temperatures experienced all weekend, meant the 20-year-old was unable to launch an attack to try and claim a fourth podium finish of the campaign.

The British rider once again showed his grit and determination to come out on top of a titanic tussle for seventh place involving Dominique Aegerter, Esteve Rabat and Mika Kallio. Despite not having the rear grip he anticipated, Smith held off the trio with some outstanding riding on worn tyres to collect his ninth top 10 finish of the 2011 World Championship.

Bradley Smith: “We can't be satisfied to start the race fourth and finish back in seventh, but I did the best job I could with the package I had today. I started the race full of confidence that I could compete for the podium based on how competitive my times were in practice and qualifying. But right from the start it was obvious I didn't have the same grip I had all weekend and it made it very difficult. I'm not really sure why we didn't have the same grip, so we need to analyse deeper and try and find an explanation. In the early laps I couldn't keep my pace and lost a few places, so I suppose I should be satisfied that I kept my head down and battled hard right to the end to take seventh. My pace was consistent over the final 10 laps, so that is a positive, but I am pretty disappointed to finish so far back. We'll put this result behind us and try and fight again for the top six in Australia, which is a track I can't wait to ride the Mistral 610 at."

Julian Simon opted to undergo once again an operation to the leg he had injured months ago and will be back in action in Valencia.