BRADLEY Smith geared up for his MotoGP return this weekend by taking part in a test at Jerez.

The Spanish circuit is staging the opening rounds of the rescheduled 2020 championship over the next two weekends.

Smith has been promoted from test rider at Aprilia into their race team while Andrea Iannone contests a suspension.

And the rider from Forest Hill, whose last action as a MotoGP regular was in 2018, gained ground across two sessions in the sweltering heat.

“I’m happy to be riding again,” he said.

“It was important for us to gather as much data as possible, given how young the project is.

“Now the techs will be able to analyse in order to prepare for the race as best as possible.

“There are obviously still some question marks, but at the moment, I’m satisfied.”