Spies claims “miracle” needed for MotoGP podium
Added on Friday, November 6th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Spies claims “miracle” needed for MotoGP podium
Ben Spies has claimed that he will need a “miracle” to claim a MotoGP podium in 2010 as he begins his preparations for next season’s championship.
The American, who won the World Superbike Championship in his one and only season in WSB, will ride with the Yamaha Tech 3 team next season, taking the seat of British rider James Toseland.
Spies will prepare for 2010 with a wildcard entry at this weekend’s season finale in Valencia before beginning the 2010 testing regime with Tech 3 on Monday but has already written off his chances of making a challenge for top three finishes, wary of the challenge posed by the riders coming up from the 250 as well as the major challengers.
The satellite Yamaha team have secured three podiums in the past two years, all achieved by fellow American Colin Edwards but Spies is anticipating a huge learning curve as he looks to overcome the tough transition from Superbikes to 800s.
“This weekend’s gonna be good,” said Spies, speaking ahead of Sunday’s Valencia GP. “When we made the decision to go to GPs a month or so ago I said maybe the wildcard is a good thing to do.
“With the limited testing, it’s three more days on the bike and then the test after the race will be a proper test, not just poking around.
“I know what to expect. I know how fast these guys are, which a lot of people don’t understand. I do because I’ve raced against them a couple of times.
“It’s hard to expect anything for my first race with Yamaha. Two and a half hours of track time is gonna be difficult. I can only try and learn and make small steps.
“To do what we did in World Superbikes [in MotoGP] is impossible for a long time, if ever.
“A Superbike and a MotoGP bike are two different worlds. Where in World Superbikes the goal every time I showed up to a race weekend was to win, here I’ve told people that if I even saw a podium next year it would – I think – be a miracle,” he claimed.
“There are 250 riders coming up next year and these guys [the present MotoGP riders] are so fast right now. Next year is a learning year. Try not to make too many mistakes and evolve as a rider, because I have a very Superbike riding-style which wouldn’t work too good on these bikes.
“I have to do more learning than I’ve ever done in my career. When I say this a lot of people think ‘yeah whatever’ but it’s a different world up here. I’ll have to start from scratch and keep building and building.
“Hopefully we’ll get there someday; it’s definitely not going to be next year.
“We had a great year in World Superbikes and just to get here in MotoGP is difficult, let alone finish top 10, top five and win races. I don’t understand what it takes to win races yet because I’ve never been up there.
“MotoGP is something I want to try, I’m at the right age to learn and keep evolving – but it’s going to be tough.”
