OXFORDSHIRE'S Bradley Smith will be hoping for a dry weekend at the Alice Grand Prix of Germany on Sunday.

Smith, from Forest Hill, was leading the 125cc race in Holland a fortnight ago when rain forced a restart - and he could only manage fifth in the five-lap sprint that followed.

But the youngster, who has suffered several nasty crashes recently, is hoping to build on last year's promising show.

"Last year, despite still recovering from injury, I qualified on the front row in fourth place and was really chuffed to finish eighth in the race," Smith said.

"Now we all all hoping for a dry weekend and hopefully some great racing."

Smith's storming performance in Holland brought a welcome boost after a disappointing British Grand Prix at Donington Park.

His Polaris World Aprilia bike seems to be working well, and Smith is confident that the track will play to his advantages.

"It is a real bike rider's circuit with plenty of twists and turns plus a few technical parts," he said.

"We are all raring to go and looking forward to hopefully picking up more points in the World Championship."