Ben Spies Signs With Ducati
Cycle News Staff | September 12, 2012
Ducati made it official today: Texan Ben Spies has signed a contract to race with the Italian company to race in a Pramac-run Ducati team in the 2013 MotoGP World Championship alongside current Moto2 star Andrea Iannone.
The Spies signing finalizes Ducati’s plans for 2013, as they will run Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso in the factory team and Spies and Iannone in the “junior” team.
Ducati also announced that it has renewed its partnership with Pramac Racing, which will run the satellite team. Spies and Iannone, according to Ducati, will have “a direct link with the company, and will be supplied with official equipment.”
“This agreement will enable additional important support in the development of the Desmosedici MotoGP project, offering a further opportunity in the process of improving the performance of the Italian bike,” the Ducati statement reads.
Spies, who will make his 50th MotoGP start this weekend in Misano, is currently 10th in the MotoGP World Championship on a factory Yamaha. The former World Superbike Champion stated earlier in the season that he was hopeful of going back to the World Superbike Championship. He’d signed a letter of intent with BMW, but since changed his mind and opted to return to MotoGP. BMW in turn signed Welshman Chaz Davies to partner Marco Melandri on the S1000 RRs in the 2013 World Superbike Championship.
