By Julian Shea

Bradley Smith has impressed in his two seasons competing so far

Bradley Smith says joining the Aprilia Polaris team for the 2008 125cc world championship is a "dream come true".

After two impressive years with Repsol Honda, this year the 17-year-old has joined the Aprilia Polaris World team, who won four Grands Prix in 2007.

"It's something I dreamt of last year as I watched them pass me down the strait most weekends," he told the BBC.

"You look at the bike and think 'what would happen if only I was on it'. Now I've finally got the chance."

The Oxfordshire teenager has certainly made his mark in his two years competing in the 125cc world championship so far.

Named rookie of the year in his debut season, last year Smith became the youngest Briton on a Grand Prix podium when he finished third at the French Grand Prix, coming 10th in the overall standings.

And the faith his new team have showed in him has already been rewarded, as he was fastest in pre-season testing at Jerez, setting an unofficial lap record and coming home three-tenths of a second of reigning world champion Gabor Talmacsi.

Although he is refusing to get carried away by his recent form, Smith is already thinking ambitiously about the 2008 season, which begins under the floodlights in Qatar this weekend.

The last two years are probably the two most valuable years of my career so far. But you've no idea how excited I am about this year.

"After the first test I said realistically my goal for the season was to finish in the top five," he said.

"There's still a lot of riders who were faster than me last year, but three or four of them have gone up to 250s, so that takes me into the area of seventh or sixth.

"The new machinery can take me into top five, and it's all about what I can do on race days.

"I want to be on the podium and win some races - that's the target for the end of the season, not from the word go, but I've got the best machinery out there and want to be doing the best job I can."

Smith's performances in 2007 were all the more impressive as he was competing on a bike designed for Dani Pedrosa in 2003, so on a more competitive bike, he should be even more of a contender.

But that is not to say he regards his time with Repsol Honda as time mis-spent.

"In the last two years I learnt where I could push and how to ride fast and be competitive on an underpowered bike," he said.

"Now I've been able to get on a better bike, I can take that experience and understanding of where to ride fast, so I would never say these two years have been wasted, they're probably the two most valuable of my career so far. But you've no idea how excited I am about this year."