Paul Carruthers | September 4, 2009
Ben Spies won’t be going Grand Prix racing in 2010, but he will be in 2011 – and it will be on a Yamaha.Spies has inked a two-year contract with Yamaha for the 2010 and 2011 seasons with the Texan slated to ride in the World Superbike Championship again in 2010 before making the move to a Yamaha’s Tech 3 satellite team in 2011.”We got to know Ben this season in our Yamaha World Superbike Team as a very talented, professional and dedicated person whom we are thrilled to continue working with,” said Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager Yamaha Motor Europe, in a company press release. “Not only is the relationship between Ben, the team and Yamaha in general very successful, but also it’s a pleasure to work with him. This early agreement permits Yamaha and Ben Spies to now fully focus on their 2009 World Superbike campaign in their challenge to achieve their first World Superbike Championship titles together.”Spies is in the midst of a battle for the World Superbike Championship with Noriyuki Haga with the series returning from the summer break this weekend at the Nurburgring in Germany.”I am very happy to say that I will remain a part of the Yamaha family and will continue in the World Superbike Series for 2010,” Spies said. “This is an exciting period of my racing career and I look forward to even more. Yamaha has been great in the warm welcome that I have received entering the world level and I want to thank them for all they have done, and giving me their trust for a next career step into MotoGP in 2011.”Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing said: “We are truly excited about the prospect of Ben’s arrival into our future MotoGP program. Ben is doing a great job for Yamaha in his first season in the World Superbike Championship. He is in great shape to challenge for the title this year and we will be rooting for him at the remaining four events this season. Ben’s primary mission is to win both his and Yamaha’s first World Superbike title. After that when Ben eventually makes the move to the MotoGP championship we will be ready for him and, in line with the new MotoGP regulations, we will create a place for him within the Yamaha satellite team and give him the support he needs for his next challenge.”
Paul Carruthers | Editor
Paul Carruthers took over as the editor of Cycle News in 1993 after serving as associate editor since starting his career at the publication in 1985. Carruthers has covered every facet of the sport in his near-28-year tenure at America's Daily Motorcycle News Source.
