Smith fastest as KymiRing test concludes

After a wet Monday, the first dry MotoGP laps of the new KymiRing circuit were held during the final day of testing in Finland.

Test riders from all six manufacturers were present this week to gather data on the new venue, which is set for a mid-summer place on the 2020 calendar.

A window of dry weather early on Tuesday allowed Smith to set the best lap of 1m 47.540s on his Aprilia before poor weather returned.

"I think in general we're quite happy with the test, we've been able to try the track in the rain and dry, for Michelin we've been able to gather information in both conditions," said Smith.

Echoing his Monday comments, the Englishman added: "For MotoGP, the track is quite tight. The first part of the track, the first five corners, are really nice. And Sector 3 I like a lot. But Sectors 2 and 4 are quite tight.

"I like it because it's different, in the World Championship it's important to have different circuits and a different challenge for the riders."

Honda's Stefan Bradl was 0.324s behind Smith on the timesheets. The German had reportedly tried a Ducati-style 'salad box' on day one, but not on day two.

"We were suffering a bit with the weather yesterday, it's wasn't so easy to find your way around," said Bradl. "But we got some data, first impressions and congratulations to them for building this great facility here in Finland, people are so excited and thankful they'll have a GP.

"From a rider point of view, it's quite slow in places and there are a lot of changes of direction. It's hard to say much right now because we weren't pushing at absolutely 100% because of the track conditions, but my first impression is good."

Bradl had been the only faller on day one, with Ducati’s Michele Pirro the only rider to tumble on day two (at Turn 11). The Italian, who finished third fastest, was later seen testing a larger ‘salad box’ (still presumed to house some kind of mass damper), as well as a modified aero fairing.

Suzuki’s Sylvain Guintoli ended the day just over a tenth adrift of Pirro, followed by local star Mika Kallio, who completed the most laps of the day, matching his former number of 36.

Yamaha's Jonas Folger was a tenth behind Kallio, with all six riders covered by just over 1.5s.

"I think these two days have shown all of us that we've succeeded in the work we've done. We're now on the way to the first Finnish GP and although a lot of work is still to be done, these days show we're going the right way," said circuit director Timo Pohjola.

"Tuesday [is a work day] but still the spectator area is full of fans... I think that shows everyone how important it is to have MotoGP here!"

Guintoli and Smith will now head straight for Silverstone, where they will be taking part in this weekend's British Grand Prix. Guintoli will be riding in place of the injured Joan Mir in the MotoGP class, with Smith making a return to Moto2 as a stand-in at the Petronas team.

A busy August will then conclude with an official test session, open to all MotoGP race and test riders, at Misano next week.