Smith's ankle 'a four to six month injury'
Bradley Smith may not mention it, but one glance at the Englishman walking in the paddock shows he is far from full fitness.
The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 star - who has made his best-ever start to a MotoGP season - still has a noticeable limp after injuring his right ankle while training on a motocross bike during the winter.
"It's still taking it's time, which is frustrating," Smith replied, when asked about the injury. "We can't find a solution to speed [the healing] up. But when I went for the final diagnosis it was a four to six month injury and I'm only on 10 to 12 weeks."
What exactly is damaged?
"There is a load of ligament damage. The whole inside of my ankle pretty much took a good old tear. Everything else has healed as normal, but there is some tendon damage as well. They are causing the issue and take longer."
Does the ankle bother you on the MotoGP bike?
"No. No issues at all."
Smith is currently one place and six points behind top satellite rider Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) in the championship standings, heading into this weekend's event at Jerez.
Bradley Smith: MotoGP Points after 3 rounds:
2015: 28 points (7th in championship)
2014: 20 points (9th)
2013: 10 points (12th)
