Elbowz from Longview, Texas ! Ben Spies is probably one of the biggest sensations of the last decade in global motorcycle racing even though he still has to compete in his first full season of MotoGP. Spies turned into a professional rider at the age of 16. He raced Suzukis from day 1 and started off in 2000 in the AMA 750 Supersport class. His first championship trophy came three years later in the AMA Formula Xtreme. His move to Yoshimura Suzuki in 2005 was pivotal. The young gun would partner Mat Mladin in the AMA Superbike and became runner up that season. With 14 podium finishes, he had already established himself to be a threat to Mladin. In 2006, Ben beat the legendary Ozzie by recording 17 podiums out of 19 races ( 10 wins ) . Mladin, not being used to face challenge within his own team, was not amused and tried playing games with Spiez. The gloves were definitely off and Ben succesfully defended his crown in 2007 and 2008.
MotoGP was beckoning after three wild card rides on the Rizla Suzuki GSV R800. What a surprise it turned out to be ( and a huge disappointment for Spies ) when it was announced that both Vermeulen and Capirossi would stay at the Suzuki MotoGP squad for 2009. His loyalty to Suzuki, his performances in the AMA superbike as well as his MotoGP results as a wild card entry, were seemingly not enough to grant him a seat in the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. A costly mistake it turned out to be.
Yamaha grabbed the opportunity and offered him a ride on the new Yamaha R1 and a shot at the World Superbikes. And Ben responded with 14 wins out of 28 races, 9 poles in a row ( first 9 races of the season, mostly upon his first visit to the track ) and the biggest trophy of all, the World Championship and Yamaha's first ever in this category. Yamaha entered a third factory M1 during the final race of the 2009 MotoGP season for Ben and his team from Sterilgarda Yamaha. A solid and consistent ride ended with 7th on Sunday on a bike and tyres he never tried before. A statement on his whereabouts for 2010 had already been made official. Yamaha didn't want to waste any more time with this American talent and moved him to the satellite Yamaha team of Hervé Poncharal. Ben will join fellow Texan Colin Edwards at Tech3 Monster Yamaha in 2010 and his first test results ( the two days following the final race in Valencia ) were very promising and a great career in grand prix racing awaits.
What makes him so special for me ? I first heard from Spies when reading motorcycle racer magazine. The fact that this young guy would provide a challenge to the untouchable Mladin was remarkable. His style...those two elbows sticking out ( hence the nick name )....very strange yet very fascinating. The fact that he has beaten his teammate at Yoshimura on the same bike three years in a row definitely means something. Suzuki made a very costly mistake by not signing him for their MotoGP outfit and Yamaha took probably one of their best decisions ever ( along with signing Rossi in 2003 ). It is just breath taking to watch him ride that R1. His tally for 2009 speaks for itself. But most of all, getting these results at tracks he had never seeen before ( apart from Miller in the US and Donington in the UK ) is simply extraordinary. His cool, his unique style, his dedication and his ability to communicate makes him a world champion in the making. It's that combination that make the difference between a good rider, a very good rider and the best. And Spies has it. At the Dutch round in Assen, I was very excited to see him race and he didn't let me down ( even though he crashed out of race 2, but then again, he won race 1 :o) ). I expect a couple of flashes of his brilliance this year - 2 or 3 visits to the post race press conference should be possible - and a move to the Fiat Yamaha garage for 2011 with a serious title challenge. I can't wait for the Italian Grand Prix in 2010 in Mugello and see him take on Valentino, Casey, Jorge and Dani....
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