BRADLEY Smith was delighted to finish on the podium as he made history in the first round of the inaugural MotoE World Cup at the Sachsenring.

The Oxfordshire rider produced a strong display in Germany to cross the line second – 0.4secs behind race-winner Niki Tuuli.

In securing a place on the rostrum, Smith became the first rider to earn podium finishes in every MotoGP class, taking his overall tally to 26.

BRADLEY SMITH’S MOTOGP PODIUMS

  • 20 – 125cc class
  • 3 – Moto2
  • 2 – MotoGP
  • 1 - MotoE

Overnight rain resulted in the declaration of a wet race and the distance was reduced to seven laps from the original eight.

Smith, from Forest Hill, made an excellent start from the third row, moving from seventh to first within the opening three corners.

The 28-year-old was overtaken by Tuuli and was forced to settle for second when the race was red-flagged on lap six following Lorenzo Savadori’s crash.

Smith had been disappointed with his qualifying performance, but was pleased to finish second.

He said: “I’m very happy to have got on the podium at the first MotoE World Cup race.

“I was somewhat disappointed with my result in E-Pole, but I still knew that if I got a good start I could be in the fight in the race.

“I managed to get a very good start and lead the race, so that was nice.

“It was only five laps, but I know where I can improve for the next round in Austria (August 9-11).

“The race was exciting, so that’s good for the show and for the competition.”