Yamaha chief impressed with Spies
Added on Monday, November 17th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor
Spies will partner Sykes in WSB.
Yamaha Superbikes boss Massimo Meregalli has sung the praises of new signing Ben Spies and believes that both he and Brit Tom Sykes can take the World Superbikes Championship by storm.
The three-time AMA champion signed with Yamaha’s factory WSB team for 2009, along with Sykes to replace outgoing duo Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga and whilst the pair have had just one testing session on the new R1, team bosses are pleased with what they have seen from their new acquisitions.
“Ben Spies showed his qualities right from the start,” Meregalli told the World Superbike website. “He is a determined guy but has his feet firmly on the ground. He wants to do things in stages, and is already hard at work. He looked impressive on the bike, and without knowing the track he was already lapping at Haga’s race pace on day 2.
“As for Tom Sykes, he concentrated mainly on establishing a good feeling with the bike and all things considered his times were satisfactory.”
While a ride in MotoGP had long been expected for Spies following wildcard rides with Suzuki, Meregalli insists the American is more than happy to be racing in World Superbikes instead, particularly as his primary aim for 2009 was to move to a top team, regardless of the championship.
“He wanted a professional team and a competitive machine and when we made a proposal to him, he didn’t waste much time in accepting. He decided to come to SBK because he wants to win and joining Yamaha seemed like an excellent opportunity”.
One concern over the pair relates to circuit unfamiliarity but Meregalli has no doubts that the pair can overcome that particular hurdle.
“I feel sure that top riders know where to put the bike on the track after a couple of practice sessions,” he added. “The tests at Portimao were a clear demonstration of this. Both Ben and Tom will be put in the best conditions to be very competitive right from the start.”
