BRADLEY Smith will undergo skin graft surgery today after suffering a bruising weekend at the Italian MotoGP race in Mugello.

The Oxfordshire rider was nursing a nasty injury to his left hand after a heavy fall in the second free practice session on Friday.

And to make matters worse, the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider was felled by another bruising crash during yesterday morning’s warm-up session.

However, Smith rode through the pain barrier to finish a creditable ninth, and appreciates it was one of his toughest weekends.

“To be honest, ninth position was obviously a really good result considering the circumstances,” he said.

“This morning’s crash was the last thing I needed, so to be able to go the whole race distance with just one mistake was positive for me.

“I had a lot of problems with my left hand as well as with my wrist and it was magnified with Mugello being such a physically demanding track. So I believe I did a really good job.”

He added: “After a very difficult weekend for my body I just need to rest as much as I can to put me in the best possible condition for Barcelona.

“We still learned a lot during these tough days, especially from the big crashes, but I suppose that’s all part of the game on my way to becoming a better MotoGP rider.”

Smith’s teammate, Cal Crutchlow, posted a superb podium finish, claiming third place behind race winner Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.