Ben Spies Ruled Out For Jerez
Cycle News Staff | April 24, 2013
Photography By Gold & Goose
Texan Ben Spies has been ruled out of next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez after suffering pectoral muscle/nerve pain following the morning warm-up session at the Circuit of The Americas on Sunday. Spies ended up finishing a painful 13th in the race.
According to the Pramac Ducati team, Spies has been told that he needs three weeks of intense rehabilitation on his pectoral muscles. Spies believes he suffered the injury because he was over-compensating for his shoulder injury.
“Two laps from the end of the warm-up I had a twinge in my chest and it felt like there was a knife in it,” Spies said on Sunday. “I don’t know what happened. We went to the Clinica Mobile; they worked with me a lot and got me ready for the race… we need to work harder and get back to 100 percent because we’re definitely not there, physically, right now.”
Spies is expected to return to action at Le Mans, May 17-19.
Spies will be replaced at Jerez by Italian Michele Piro. Piro rode a Gresini Honda last year but signed a contract in the off-season to be a Ducati test rider.
