The Englishman, competing in his third season of MotoGP with the satellite Yamaha team, has been a model of consistency in 2015, finishing inside the top eight in each race so far. After ten races, he is fifth in the standings, ahead of Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso and recovering Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa.
Heading straight from Indianapolis to Brno for the Czech Republic Grand Prix – where Smith qualified fourth last season -, Poncharal says his performances have certainly 'raised eyebrows' amongst more than just the Tech 3 team.
"It's always a bit tricky doing a back-to-back race, but we will give the guys the best possible bike so they can do a super job. Brad has raised some eyebrows and really impressed us all with his maturity and determined efforts this year so we know he will be aiming to score a strong result in the 22 lap race in order to increase the deficit to Andrea Dovizioso and the other riders behind him in the world championship standings.
By contrast, second season rider Pol Espargaro has experienced a tougher campaign thus far and though his best finish of fifth place is a match for his team-mate, the Spaniard is ninth in the standings 24 points adrift. Despite this, Poncharal is confident he can turn things around.
"As for Pol, he will give absolutely everything he has got, as usual, so therefore we expect him to be right up there with his teammate and fighting inside the top six in the race on Sunday. We all look forward to entertaining the massive crowd that goes the track and cannot wait to get the ball rolling!"
