Bradley Smith Completes a Rare Five-Category Podium Sweep at Silverstone

Bradley Smith finally got his home Grand Prix win, just not in the class most people expected. Racing as a wildcard for the ParkinGO Team in Round 4 of the FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup, Smith led Saturday’s Race 1 from the early stages to the checkered flag in front of the British crowd at Silverstone, part of a weekend that also saw Archie McDonald set an all-time series lap record and dominate Sunday’s race.

Bradley Smith Completes a Rare Five-Category Sweep

Smith’s Race 1 victory came down to the final lap, with Archie McDonald chasing hard and setting a 2:09.030 before Smith answered with a personal-best 2:09.384 to hold the win. McDonald and Joe Rascal Racing teammate Eric Granado completed the podium behind him.

The result carries weight beyond the race itself. Bradley Smith has previously stood on the podium in Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP, and MotoE, and the Silverstone win makes him the only rider with podium finishes across all five categories connected to the MotoGP paddock.

At 35, and by his own account after “at least 20 years of trying,” Bradley Smith described the moment plainly: “I always dreamed of what it would feel like to hear the national anthem from the top step. Now, here we are.”

Archie McDonald’s Record-Setting Weekend

McDonald’s weekend started with a statement in qualifying, ending teammate Eric Granado’s streak of three consecutive poles with a 2:08.832 lap — a new all-time Bagger World Cup lap record at Silverstone, and only the second pole of his career in series history.

He backed it up Sunday, leading Race 2 from start to finish for his second win of the season and first since the series-opening round at COTA, with Granado and Jordi Torres completing another all-Joe Rascal Racing podium sweep.

McDonald’s post-race comments went further than a typical winner’s interview, describing a training stretch where repeated crashes brought him to tears before his coach, Angel Poyatos, told him simply not to give up. “I’ve had moments of pure disbelief,” McDonald said. “Here we are months later, standing on the top step thanks to him, my family, and everyone who refused to give up on me.”

The Bagger World Cup Title Fight Tightens Heading to Aragón

McDonald’s Silverstone weekend cut Granado’s championship lead from a comfortable margin down to just five points — Granado now sits at 147, McDonald at 142, with Oscar Gutiérrez holding third on 128. Harley-Davidson’s Director of Global Racing Programs, Jeffrey Schuessler, pointed to McDonald’s lap record as proof of how far the series has come, noting it ran roughly three tenths quicker than the outright Moto3 lap record at the same circuit.

Schuessler also singled out rookie Max Toth, who qualified sixth in his series debut for Saddlemen Race Development despite limited time on the bikes. With two rounds and 100 points still available, the inaugural championship remains open heading to MotorLand Aragón for the MotoGP Aragón Grand Prix weekend, August 28-30.

About The Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

See author's posts