BRADLEY Smith was satisfied with the opening test ahead of the MotoGP season, which starts next month.

The Oxfordshire star, aboard his Monster Yamaha Tech3 bike, completed 179 laps in a three-day test in Sepang, Malaysia – the most of any rider.

Smith put his new Michelin tyres through their paces, and the 25-year-old, who hails from Forest Hill, was also the only rider to sample the Michelin intermediate tyre after a heavy downpour of rain during the day.

“It’s been a good three days and we completed 99 per cent of what I wanted to test which is a positive conclusion,” he said.

“I set a lap time that I was happy with (on the second day), so I decided to focus on race simulations and the handling of the bike when on a full fuel load.

“This was important as this season we are going to 22 litres of fuel that makes the Yamaha behave a bit differently compared to last year."

“We also thoroughly worked on the electronics in order to keep as much grip as possible when the tyre drops.

“By doing a race simulation, I got to sample this as well as learn the tyres behaviour in more depth.”

Smith was happy with with his findings and is looking forward to getting to know the bike more during the second test in Phillip Island, Australia.

“The results have given the team an indication of what they need to improve,” he said.

“Obviously, Yamaha can look at the data I’ve gathered so I am sure we can take advantage of this before we go to Phillip Island.

“We leave Sepang with a clear direction of where to go next in order to progress."

“Already, I feel as comfortable as I did last year from a setting point of view and there’s still six days left to test.”