Thoughts about Spies

[Placid]

Now that the AMA season has come to an end, will Ben Spies have a chance
to show his skills at Portimao this November?

[neninja]

I suspect that he will be contracted with Suzuki still so I doubt we'll see him do anything other than testing this year

I'm looking forward to seeing him in WSBK next year though as he is clearly very talented.

[ChrisS]

I dot think so. He wont be too willing to jump on a bike he never raced before.

There may also be contract issues (if his contract with Suzuki is until the end of 2008)

[jonny hurlock]

Now that the AMA season has come to an end, will Ben Spies have a chance
to show his skills at Portimao this November?

he won't ride the R1 until next year anyway, Ben Spies overall, his won 3 ama championships in a row. his performances at donnington, leguna and indy were impressive imo, his talent along should be in motogp alone, i'm surprise that he hasn't got a rise in motogp expressly with suzuki, he matches up well with any american driver coming from ama from the past 10 years ie Nicky Hayden,

I will say this good luck in World SBK next year for him at Yamaha next year with the R1.

[NinjaMaster]

I think Ben will do well next year but I don't think he will be a title contender. He will have to learn a new bike and team, new tracks and completely new cultures in Europe. Not to mention a field 10 times as deep in talent and machinery quality as what he has been used to in the AMA. My money is on Sykes beating him overall. I can't wait for the 09 WSB season already!

[ChrisS]

I think Spies will do well in SBK. He wont be a title contender though.

He can race at the front and lead a race on his own, but I think he will need to learn to fight 2-3 other riders at the same time, race in midfield, block fastest riders etc.

He will also learn that there are a lot of riders that can race as fast as him and are willing to do it for 500K not 2.5mil

[patnicholls]

He'll have to get used to a lot more competition than he's had Stateside, but he'll be decent I think. Again I don't think he'll be a title contender, probably top ten/15 overall to be honest (I don't think he'll do as well as Kiyo has this year, for instance).

Fair play to Yamaha for signing up two WSB rookies though with Sykes (who's been superb this year in BSB) - quite a ballsy move on their part.

[Cryogeneric]

I'm guessing he'll be on the podium once or twice and finish in the top 10 in points. Assuming he stays in WSBK, he could be fighting for a championship after a couple of years of experience... all though I'm suspecting he'll get a ride in MotoGP for 2010.

[jewfzr]

You guys have obviously not seen this guy race. My prediction is that he'll be the next WSBK champion. The only one with this kids kind of talent in WSBK just retired. He's the real deal.

[NinjaMaster]

You guys have obviously not seen this guy race. My prediction is that he'll be the next WSBK champion. The only one with this kids kind of talent in WSBK just retired. He's the real deal.
He's very, very good, no doubt about it and we all acknowledge this. But I don't think he's that good that he will walk into WSB and just win straight away. In AMA, he only had one real challenger to beat in Mat Mladin and Mat beat him more often than the other way around. WSB has far more depth of talent and machinery than AMA, he has to learn a new team, tires, bike and the culture of touring the globe. He will do well but I think you over-estimate him at this stage of his career. Time will tell I guess.

[neninja]

Well apparently he's been testing at Portimao this week after the final WSBK round.

He matched Haga's fastest lap on the 08 bike. Impressive with less track time and on an unfamiliar bike.

On the 09 bike he was within a few tenths of Bayliss' lap record

[patnicholls]

Pretty impressive performance in testing, although it should be pointed out that:

a) the track was 'rubbering up' and getting quicker through the weekend and the test
b) it's early days yet and there were a lot of riders not at the test.

Even so, a very decent opening so far. With the massive field who look to line up for 2009, there are no guarantees of even being in the points for many riders!

[gco0307]

I will reserve judgement for sometime yet until we see his ability in all weather, variable tracks and also how he handles the stresstes of travel, distance and being away from home.

But, with that said the reported testing times are impressive but it must be said that according to various sources the Yamaha does have the more advanced electronics on offer in WSBK (active suspension has been reported by numerous commentators), so it could well be an easier bike to ride.

However, he has little to no recent experience with the R1, nor was he familiar with the track, tyres and in reality the team, but he cut some fast times. To me, that is impressive.

Further (well for me), his forays into the MotoGP world were again impressive under the circumstances.

But, all is early days and time will tell although my suspicion is that he will be in MotoGP at times next year and will replace the 'nearly man' should his results (CE's) be less than expected.






Garry