Nobody could lay claim to an earlier start in motorcycle culture than Bradley Smith, who grew up just 100 metres from a motorcross track that was owned by his parents in his native Oxford. For as long as he can remember Bradley has helped out his father maintain the track – from planning it and grooming it to just taking walks around it, Bradley’s dream since he was in nappies was a future as a motorcycle racer.
As soon as he came home from school, Bradley would spend every available evening riding the track on his bicycle until Christmas 1996, when his father finally bought him his first motorcycle - a Kawasaki 60cc. Just a month later, when he reached the minimum racing age of six, he took part in his first competition at the circuit by his house. From that day onwards he was rarely off a motocross or supercross bike and he was a regular contender in the British Motocross Championship, winning the title in 2001.
He looked set for a bright future in off-road racing until 2003, when he broke his leg and was ruled out for three months. The time away gave him chance to consider an alternative career and Bradley now sees the injury as a positive thing because it was during his period of convalescence that he decided to switch codes and trade in his career as a motorcross racer for a future in road racing.
He tried his hand on tarmac for the first time in 2004, finishing fourth in the MRO Superteen series, including a race victory at Lydden, and seventh in the MRO GP 125cc series despite only taking part in three rounds.
In 2005 Bradley entered the 125cc Spanish Championship, riding a Honda for the MotoGP Academy Team. He missed out on the title by a single point after taking victory in the final three rounds at Albacete, Valencia and Jerez. That same year he also registered tenth place overall in the 125cc British Championship, despite missing several rounds due to his commitments with the MotoGP Academy.
However, it was his performances in Spain that had converted him into the bright hope of British motorcycle racing and secured a deal with the Repsol team for his debut 125cc World Championship season in 2006. Riding a Honda, at the age of fifteen the teenager took the title of Rookie of the Year, with stand-out performances in Japan, Great Britain, Germany and Valencia. In 2007 he was a regular points-scorer, confirming his reputation as one of the most promising talents in the World Championship, ending that season eighth overall.
Bradley, known for being methodical and thorough in his approach to racing, signed for the Polaris World team in 2008 as his career continued to progress on a factory Aprilia RSA.
The season saw him become a consistent frontrunner in practice and in the races although he was robbed of his dream of a first victory at World Championship level when crashing out of the lead on several occasions. However, it was still the year Bradley confirmed his reputation as one of the top young riders in the category, ending the season sixth overall.
In 2009 a dream was realised for both the British rider and the Bancaja Aspar team, who finally formed a winning combination. The Spanish outfit had been chasing the youngster for two years and they put all their effort into helping him become a winner. The teenager from Oxford paid back their confidence with victories at Jerez and Mugello, putting together a run of podiums throughout the final third of the season and finishing the campaign as the World Championship runner-up. His goal for 2010 is to continue to develop within the Bancaja Aspar Team and to mount another challenge for the minor category title.