Temperatures as high as the level of the racing on the tracks have been playing a big role in the Gran Prix of Catalunya, held this week end at Montmelò, Spain.

AXO riders once again displayed strong performance as Bradley Smith took the runner up spot of the 125cc class race and Julian Simon made the most of his position at the starting grid to claim his second podium of the season so far.

Bradley Smith had one of his best showings of the season to date as part of the fight for second place, riding with caution and craft behind his rivals for the majority of the race in order to time his move to perfection. Hanging off the tails of Terol and Espargaró, Smith waited for his chance and eventually decided on the last lap to outbrake the two and was also able to block off the final attacks to come home as runner-up. For both Smith and Simon this is the second podium of the season, following a third place at Silverstone for Smith and a second place in France for Simon, who now sits third in the standings.

Ramon used his super smooth riding technique to notch up a 4-3 score in front of an enthusiastic Scandinavian crowd, for the third step of the podium of the Gran Prix of Sweden, the 10th round of the Motocross World championship.

Bradley Smith: "I decided to push hard from the start, but it was clear that this race was going to be tough. Marquéz was clever, and was able to slip away. Then I turned my attention to Terol and Espargaró, studying their lines in order to determine where to make a pass. Being in their slipstream served me well, because I could ride calmly and without taking too many risks. I was confident on every braking point, and kept telling myself that I couldn't let the podium go in someone else’s hands. I waited until the end to overtake, and then just focused on closing the gaps. It's a good result and I am very happy with it!”.

Julian Simon: “I consider myself lucky to not have been involved in the first corner crash. I was very focused on not losing positions from the start, because that is something that has been a problem for the past two races. I was aggressive on the opening laps, knowing that I had to take advantage of a good pace on fresh tyres. I made a couple of mistakes, but I am very happy to have finished third here in Barcelona, after having made a silly mistake last year to miss out on a win. The next race is at a circuit that I love, so I'm very happy."

Steve Ramon: “I enjoy this track and have been on the podium every time over the last four years.  It was really exciting racing today and Clement and I had a good battle in the second moto.  My arm is still not 100% but is improving all the time so I will be looking forward to my home GP in three weeks time.”