BRADLEY Smith had to battle through the pain barrier, when finishing 13th in Japan on his return to MotoGP after injury.

The Oxfordshire rider, making his first appearance on the track for the Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team since badly damaging his knee in August, began the 24-lap contest from the fifth row of the grid.

He rode consistently to finish 13th, despite feeling the injury.

“No doubt, today has been a very hard day,” said Smith.

“I can’t be disappointed about a 13th place finish as I didn’t even know if I was going to be able to complete the GP a few days ago."

The race was won by Marc Marquez, who clinched a third world title.