AXO rider Bradley Smith had to fight against difficult conditions and his team-mate fight for the title yesterday at Estoril, for the penultimate round of the 125cc World Championship.

The rain that had been so prominent in the previous two days of practice made an unwelcome return just as the 125cc contest was kicking into gear: the conditions were dangerous enough  to lead to the showing of a red flag and the race had to be restarted.

Smith had a fantastic second race and not only he helped his team-mate, trying to stop Marquez’ come-back, but he ended the day with a podium to his name and an enhanced reputation as one of the World Championship's most professional riders.

Bradley Smith: "It was a very exciting race, as well as a difficult one. The suspension of the race, strange conditions and crashes made it essential for us to keep calm. On the restart I hesitated a bit, because I didn't want to get involved in the fight for the title and was trying to help Nico. The second race was much better for me than the first, as I had much more confidence on the bike and was riding more comfortably. First time around I was barely keeping up my pace. I think that this is an important podium, above all ahead of Valencia, which is my team's home race. There will be lots of fans and supporters there, so I hope to reward them with another good result."

On the other side, in the Moto2 class, Julian Simon did not have the best race of the season and could only manage to finish 12^th as the chequered flag was waved. Overthinking and overcautious, the Spaniard was unable to ride with his normal speedy pace in Portugal, as he had to keep in mind his hunt for the runner up spot in the World Championship. However, his main rival for the Moto2 second spot, Andrea Iannone, crashed out of the race and allowed him to head to Valencia with the clear advantage.

Julian Simon: “I'm not happy with my performance today. From start to finish I was never comfortable and it wasn't my best race mentally. We have to forget about it and think positive. The best thing about today is that I finished the race in the points. Even though I was far down the order, Iannone made a mistake that means the runner-up spot is more secure. In Valencia it is in our own hands. I'm spurred on by the thought of riding at home next weekend, at a track that I love and where I expect that I will go well. Uncertainty hit me hard today, as I didn't want to make a mistake and as a result I was unable to ride as calmly as I usually do”.