BRADLEY Smith’s hopes for the new MotoGP season have been boosted by an encouraging test with his new KTM team in Malaysia.

The newcomers are playing catch-up on the established names on the grid ahead of the opening round in Qatar on March 26.

It makes pre-season tests vital for development and for Smith the three-day session in Sepang was only his second experience of the KTM RC16 machine.

The rider, from Forest Hill, finished 21st out of 25 riders on the final day, but was heartened to be so close to the front, where Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales topped the timing sheets.

He said: “Everybody has made really good progress during these three days.

“I think everyone can be proud.

“For us to be just 1.9 seconds from the front at Sepang, one of the longest racetracks on the calendar, and for our first test for 2017, I think it’s a great place to start.”

Incredibly, both Smith and teammate Pol Espargaro left Malaysia having clocked identical fastest laps of 2mins 1.338secs.

The Spaniard was the only one of the pair to experience a crash at the test, which was interrupted by heavy rain.

But while the focus on speed will steadily build up to the season-opener, Smith knows at this stage it is about making small improvements.

He said: “We worked through our program step-by-step and we tried not to make any mistakes.

“That’s important at this point in time because development is crucial.

“Let’s say we tried 12 new things and 11 were positive and that’s nice for it to happen here in Sepang.

“I think we certainly have a clear indication.

“The team has worked fantasti- cally.”

Team manager Mike Leitner said: “The riders did a super job.

“We should be really happy because we know where we are and we’ll keep pushing.”

There are four more tests before the action starts for real at the Losail International Circuit.

Next up is a session at Phillip Island in Australia, starting a week today.