Bradley Smith is eyeing a continuation of his challenge to MotoGP’s top riders at the Catalunya GP this weekend.

The Oxfordshire ace is sixth in the standings after finishing in the top eight in all six rounds of the season so far.

Smith concentrated on adjusting his race set-up in yesterday’s practice sessions and posted only the 14th quickest combined time.

However, the Tech 3 rider is now confident he has found the right balance for tomorrow’s race.

The 24-year-old said: “We made a lot of setting changes in order to find a good direction to head towards Saturday, which we now have.

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“At the end of the practice I focused more on getting a good rhythm with the soft tyre, instead of setting a hot lap time as I believe this compound will be the one for the race.

“I am pleased with the bike and now we just need to find a little bit of additional grip.

“If we achieve this, I believe we can have a strong showing and finish where we want to.”

Smith has to finish inside the top ten after today’s two practice sessions to guarantee a place in this afternoon’s second round of qualifying.