British 125cc grand prix star Bradley Smith intends to stay with the Polaris World Aprilia team for the 2009 world championship, but 💧a switch to the title-winning Aspar outfit is also possible.

The 17-year-old's third season of grand 💖prix racing, 🅰and first with Polaris and Aprilia, has so far produced three podium finishes and seventh in the championship standings.

But that ranking would be much higher had it not been for three non-scores and Smith's raw speed has resulted in seven🐽 front row starts - including three poles - from the 13 rounds so far held.

"Nothing has been signed for next year yet," Bradley's father, Allan, told mahbx.com.

"The main thing is to stay with Polaris; they are a great team with really good people - from the management down - and have been very good to Brad. Even when he was crash🉐ing there was never a problem, all they ever asked was 'are you 𒈔okay?'

"If Brad had more experience, and a little less bad luck with things like theও weather, then I think Brad would have won two or three races this year. He might even have won first time out for the team at Qatar, when he wꩵas fastest in every session but had a steering damper problem in the race.

"However, if Polaris decided not t♕o continue next year and no new sponsor steps in then it may not be po🦩ssible to stay."

Smith believes that there is no question of Pol♌aris World, a Spanish property company that owns seven resorts, being 'forced' out of grand prix racing and that the decision will be based on marketing straꦆtegy.

"Polaris is a big company with a lot of private money a🃏nd they can race🅠 next year if they want to," he explained. "It'll just come down to whether, with the economic downturn, Polaris decides it should spend four million euros on racing or use it on something like mainstream TV advertising instead.

"There are some interesting things going on behind the scenes, approaches from various manufacturers, so there's also a chance the team will be changing machinery," Allan revealed. "What happens will be a business decision and t🎉he team needs to examine all i💟ts options."

Such uncertainty over the 𓄧future participation of Polaris prompted Bradley's management company to look for other options, resulting in positive interest from Jorge Martinez 'Aspar', whose team finished first and second in the 2🔥007 world championship with Gabor Talmacsi and Hector Faubel.

"Bradley has got new management, WMG♑ [Wasserman Media Group]. They are the company Randy Mamola is associated with. WMG got a bit 'windy' because there has been no positive reply from Polaris yet regarding next year, so they wanted to make sure there were other options in place for Bradley. They started looking around and that's where the rumours [about a switch to Aspar] have come from," said Smith.

"At present the two top teams in 125 are Polaris and༒ Aspar, so it's a good position to be in," Smith admitted. "Aspar has proven championship success, while Polaris won five races with Mattia Pasini last year and this year they've turned Brad from a top ten rider to a podium rider.

"It's a great compliment that Aspar is interested in Brad and is talking about possibly running a bike for him. Especially as Aspar has got a lot of top riders already signed and soon they will ꦗbe the only team in the paddock racing in 125, 250 and MotoGP.

"We also think Brad could learn a lot from former g🧸rand prix racer Gino Borsoi, who has a management position at the Aspar team. He tests thei🌳r bikes and that means he can help solve any problems. Raul Jara was helpful to Brad in a similar position at [Repsol] Honda.

"Bradley's not worried about next year though. He's training as usual and is fully focussed on getting podiums and perhaps a race win from the last four rounds of this year," Smꦜith added.

Allan aims to have his son's future decided by the forthcoming Japanese Grand Prix, at Motegi on September 28, and is alreaꦑdy relishing the prospect of seeing two young British riders battling at the front of the 2009 world championship.

"Next year there will be two young British riders, Scott [Redding] and Brad, who will be just 16 and 18, riding full factory machines," he said. "So there will be a chance not𝔍 only of podiums and race wins, but also a British one-two. That would be incredible."

Beyond💮 2009, Smith sees the impending change from 250cc two-strokes to 600cc four-strokes as a perfect opportunity for Bradley to advance upꩲ a class.

"Brad will be in 125 next year. Y🐬ou can't really go to 250 unless you have RSA [factory] machines and that's not an option yet, but we're also keeping one eye on when the new four-stroke class will start," he revealed.

"The latest we've heard is that Honda will produce all the engines and electronics for the new class and that itꦍ could happen one year earlier than expected, in 2010.

"That will be a great time for Brad to move bꦕecause although the established [250cc] riders will have experience of handling a bigger bike the four-strokes will be new for everybody."