2010 MotoGP Rookies: Ben Spies

Ben Spies makes the full-time switch to MotoGP in 2010 having experienced the World Championship as a wildcard rider on four previous occasions.

Suzuki gave Spies his first taste of premier class action in the 2008 season when they brought him in for three races, and his debut outing as a MotoGP rider came at Donington where he qualified in a very credible eighth place and took 14th in the race.

Spies was then used by Suzuki as a test rider at Indianapolis as he aided their development of the GSV-R prototype, before again riding in the race at Laguna Seca where he took eighth place. A return to the Brickyard in a competitive capacity brought a sixth-placed finish at the first Indianapolis GP, which rounded off an impressive stint in the premier class.

Those displays impressed Yamaha and in October 2009 it was announced that Spies would ride with Hervé Poncharal’s Monster Tech 3 team for the 2010 season.

Seeking to give Spies some more valuable time on a MotoGP machine, Yamaha fielded the American as a wildcard entry in the final race of the 2009 season at Valencia as single-rider entry for the Sterilgarda team. Gaining more experience aboard the 800cc M1 prototype, it was another sterling display for Spies.

Seventh place at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit from ninth on the grid helped future team-mate Edwards secure fifth place in the 2009 MotoGP standings, as Spies showed the kind of hard riding spirit that has brought him three AMA Superbike championships and the 2009 World Superbike title.

Now taking to the premier class on a full-time basis, Spies will aim to develop the promise he has already shown in his displays to date in MotoGP.