Worried about losing another year in his MotoGP learning curve, Ben Spies has opted to move to the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha team next year - whether he wins the World Superbike Championship or not. The 25-year-old Texan and three-time AMA Superbike Champion is effectively trading places with former World Superbike Champion James Toseland, with the Brit switching to Yamaha's World Superbike team for 2010.

"I want to thank Yamaha globally for their faith in me," Spies said in a release issued by Yamaha today. "They have treated me like royalty. Yamaha just recently allowed me to rethink my contract for 2010-2011; I did sign for World Superbike for 2010 but after Indy I began thinking of the competition and my age versus waiting until 2011. This was not an easy decision, the Yamaha World Superbike Team crew and especially Massimo [Maio] Meregalli have been fantastic and it's been great fun to put in a season together. I am hoping that I can give Maio, Laurens Klein Koerkamp and everyone else a championship to remember this year with me. My thanks also extend to 'Infront', the promoter of the World Superbike series, especially Paolo Ciabatti. I have enjoyed his series and this first year racing in Europe. Now I have two challenges, to complete this year giving my best and to move towards new goals in MotoGP. Herve Poncharal at Tech 3 is showing his support by allowing me to come on board with my crew chief Tom Houseworth and Gregory Wood, my mechanic, who have both been with me since AMA days. We will have learning curves to overcome next year but I am up for the new goal. I hope to have a good year and my goal is to try and stay in the top six to eight which, given the talented line up, will be a tall order. With the world upside down, there is one constant for me and that's Yamaha."

Spies is currently three points behind Xerox Ducati's Noriyuki Haga in the World Superbike Championship with two rounds and four races remaining, including this weekend's round at Magny Cours in France.

While getting the popular Spies in their series is a boon for the MotoGP World Championship and Dorna, the World Superbike Championship loses its lone American and replaces him with another Brit - with Toseland joining a series that currently boasts five riders from the U.K. and is about to get two more. And while gaining a third American with Spies joining Nicky Hayden and teammate to be Colin Edwards in MotoGP, that series loses its lone Brit.

The second new Brit headed to the series is current World Supersport Championship points leader Cal Crutchlow, the 24-year-old making the move up to World Superbike to join Toseland on the team that's based in Italy.

"I'm looking forward to return to World Superbikes," said Toseland, whose two-year stint in MotoGP never met the expectations that came with his two World Superbike Championships. "I want to show I'm still the rider that can win world titles. Of course there is some disappointment at losing my opportunity in MotoGP as I believe the challenge was still achievable, but the R1 has proven to be beyond the strongest bikes in Superbike and I know many of the Yamaha World Superbike Team guys, so I'm going to pick up where I left off and give 100 percent to achieving good results with the team. Within Superbike there were a few options available to me, however the way Yamaha have treated me since I joined them has been outstanding. They gave me a great opportunity in MotoGP, but now I do wish Ben [Spies] all the best in his campaign and my aim is to continue Yamaha's success in World Superbike."

Crutchlow's move to World Superbike won't be his first outing on a Superbike as he finished third in the 2008 British Superbike Championship. He also finished second at Donington Park in the 2008 British round of the World Superbike Championship as a wild card.

"I'm happy to stay to be staying with Yamaha," said Crutchlow. "This will be my second year of my two-year contract as agreed when I started in Supersport this year. Moving up to World Superbike will be a great challenge. I'm looking forward to it and am under no illusion as to how hard it is, but I intend to do a good job. I'm also looking forward to riding with another Brit. Ben [Spies] is obviously doing really well this year and I wish him luck for the last two World Superbike rounds and next year in MotoGP. It's great to be working with Yamaha again in 2010."

"We are very excited about our 2010 rider line up," said Laurens Klein Koerkamp, Racing Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe. "The experience of James combined with the fresh talent of Cal should make it a very competitive and successful combination to challenge for the title again in 2010. I have no doubt that James will be as strong in World Superbike as before, or even stronger with the added experience he picked up in MotoGP and we're all very happy he stays with Yamaha. For Cal it's a natural progression for both us and him to move up to the Yamaha World Superbike Team. As a successful R6 Cup rider in the past and having proven his talent yet again in World Supersport this year we want to continue developing his career within Yamaha."

The World Superbike team does, however, lose Spies, who has not only been dominant at times in his rookie season of World Superbike racing, but has proven to be immensely popular.

"Following the announcement of Ben's two-year deal with Yamaha one month ago, he has reassessed his options and decided that he would like to move to MotoGP sooner rather than later," said Lin Jarvis, director of Yamaha Motor Racing. "Yamaha has considered his request and together with Tech 3 we were able to find a way to make it happen. Ben has done a fantastic job in his rookie season in World Superbike and we are very excited to now be welcoming him into our MotoGP program sooner than we originally expected. We believe that Ben will be a fast learner next season and a strong future championship contender. We look forward to working with him in the years ahead."

"Of course we're sorry to see Ben leave Yamaha's World Superbike program and we are currently enjoying a fantastic season with him, but it's clear that it's the right decision for Ben's career and for Yamaha," Klein Koerkamp said. "One of Yamaha's goals is to bring up future MotoGP talent through Superbike and it is satisfying for us to see that this rider development route is working. Before he moves we still have some serious business to finish with Ben this year at the remaining two rounds! Although Ben will be missed, I have no doubt that our new World Superbike line-up for next year will see us once again challenging for the title. We will be cheering loudly for Ben in MotoGP and we look forward to seeing him on the YZR-M1."