Sometimes the Italian media gets ahead of itself, and sometimes they repeat each other’s rumors. Nevertheless, more than one report indicates Ben Spies will be on a Ducati next year as part of a new satellite effort. Spies told reporters he will have an announcement later this week. Stay tuned.
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ducati must have made some big promises
In order for Ben to decide mid-season to give up one of only four competitive factory rides in the paddock, he must have had a serious falling out with Yamaha management. He was obviously pissed at them over what they said to him at Laguna, but he’d already made the decision to leave the team.
This guy wants to win. There are only four bikes in MotoGP that can win, and he was on one of them. Now he moves to a brand that can’t even produce a competitive factory bike, plus he’s on the “junior team” using satellite equipment?
Why? Who does that?
Great, so in 2013 we get to watch two Americans fight for 10th place each race(Hayden & Spies) and one American fight for 15th(Edwards). Yay…
Well I’ll eat my words, Pramac Ducati just signed him. I don’t understand this move from Spies point of view… well anyway good luck Ben!
This move makes no sense to me. Why would Ben step down to the Ducati from arguably the best bike in the paddock? I could see maybe going to Honda, but Ducati? Hard to believe the satellite team would pay him more the the Yamaha factory team either.
If Audi wasn’t so serious about racing, I’d doubt the Ducati bike next year. However, Audi is seriously successful at racing. Ben on an improved Ducati sounds good for the sport.
re: “If Audi wasn’t so serious about racing, I’d doubt the Ducati bike next year. However, Audi is seriously successful at racing…”
…CARS.
He would make a great fit on the SBK Kawasaki team. Maybe this will start a new rumor!
Well today BMW signed up Chaz Davies for replacing Haslam next year, so it looks like Spies isn’t going there afterall………
good, there was no future for him with BMW. ben brings his mom, marco brought manu and her boobs. game over.
Interesting move for sure. Jr team in Ducati eyes is just a factory feeder team. Ducati most certainly needs to put Ben on a “like” bike for Nick and Dovi to be successful. Having three skilled GP riders on the same bike at one time will only help Ducaudi R&D at a much faster rate. I have this feeling that Ducati and DORNA put this together to keep the American in the race. Odds are Colin won’t return next season to GP and Nick needs company. Just my personal thought on this, but somehow it appears that DORNA played a key role in making sure Spies will make a check for next season.
re: “but somehow it appears that DORNA played a key role in making sure Spies will make a check for next season.”
if that’s the case…? please don’t do the kid any more favors. 🙁
WSB is so much more exciting, sad to say, Dorna has dumbed down Moto Gp , sad indeed!
It’s bizarre that some people view a news report as a cue to spout out nationalistic and xenophobic feelings. For me, motorcycling is an avenue toward sharing our mutual love of bikes and incredible experiences with people from all around the world. I guess for others it’s an avenue toward puny-minded political blather. Motocross des Nations is owned by Youthstream and sanctioned by FIM (like MotoGP), and yet American riders dominate. Youthstream is based in Portugal–I wonder why they haven’t “fixed” all the regulations to keep us poor Americans from winning?
It’s too bad that there can’t be a true international motox series. The euros run second place in America, and Americans make less money in Europe. The situation won’t change anytime soon.
I agree with you, Eric. It is bizarre what the conspiracy theorists come up with.
Didn’t Spies himself say via twitter at some point he was going to wsbk on a BMW??
I sure hope this rumor is untrue. The MotoGP Duc is a dud … the satellite even worse. Say it ain’t so, Ben.
MotoGP is owned by a spanish company. Repsol is spanish, next year the Repsol sponsored team will have two spanish riders because the spanish owned MotoGP series abolished the rookie rule recently put in place just to block Spies from a factory ride in his rookie season(everyone in the padock even nicknamed it the Spies Rule)
You’re right, MotoGP currently is for Spaniards. That’s why they won’t allow combined rider/bike weights, because it would level the playing field against the significantly smaller Spanish riders. Look at Dani, he’s the size of a 10-year old.
MotoGP site lists Pedrosa as 5′ 3″ and 112lbs… (NASCARs Danica Patrick could kick his ass!)
Ben Spies is listed as 5′ 11″ and 156lbs..
All the technique and training in the world would make it nearly impossible to beat that. Combine that with what seems like second-class team support (when did Lorenzo blow a motor or have a broken swingarm?) and Ben is already the champion!
So all those championships won by Rossi … an Italian roughly the same size as Spies … are what? A fluke? A flaw in the Spanish conspiracy? Gi’me a friggin break.
Rossi is lighter than Spies but we’re talking about a racing class with a power surplus (proven by the use of electronic wheelie control). There’s an advantage in terms of tire wear with a lighter overall package but Pedrosa has not been as prolific a winner as Lorenzo or Stoner. Aren’t they bigger than 112lb?
Rossi hasn’t done that well lately. FIM has the same problem as F1: it is coasting on decades of heritage and run by old men who haven’t ridden in decades.
Not lately but everyone agrees that he’ll do better (maybe not win) on a better bike. He rode the Duc to 2nd in bad conditions so he’s still got “it”.
Totally agree FIM vs. F1. The shame is, they watch Moto 2 have spectacular racing on the same day and still can’t figure out what to do.
In most sports height and weight hold an advantage, only usually its the bigger, taller, stronger ones that hold the advantage. Why should an advantage held by a smaller person have to be penalized? Seems unfair.
everytime i hear a positive comment about suzuki and motogp is when i KNOW people are “masquerading” as fans of roadracing, motogp, etc and haven’t really been watching the past 12 years (if ever). i would assume the vast majority are more motivated by the idea of simply chiming in on the internet, than the historical account.
Yep, been sporting a masquerading mask since I saw Rainey slide under the bridge at BIR, when I entered the track, in the early 80’s. I got a picture of Merkel and me shaking hands after his first title. Road America was good to Colin, during the release of the YZR 600. Raymond Roche was rather good at BIR. Polen didn’t suck either. Rich Oliver rode the YZF500 rather well in the Formula Unlimited. Rapp and I talked at BIR and so did Kenny. Pikes Peak was a go cart track, Miller may be good for the riders but sucks for spectating. Laguna is beautiful but a bastard to get to from the Great Plains. Indy is the best venue that I’ve ever been to in the last 40 years. You can take the boy off a Suzuki but you can’t take the Suzuki out of the boy. Betcha a 12 pack Spies is on a Suzuki soon.
While “Satellite” would imply Moto GP (I don’t think any WSBK Ducati is “Factory” today), nowhere in the report does it say Moto GP. The WSBK guys will be on the new Pannigale platform in 2013.
Spies on the Duc Jr. team it will be. An interesting move, but he said it best…if he leaves GP he likely will not return. He’s young, still has a buttload of fight left in him-especially the bad rap Yam left him with. He had plenty of options on the table with WSB. The issue is how to keep racing at the top level and show his talent while ENJOYING racing. My guess is a short term 1 year deal to debut the Zuk back into GP and develop that new beast to get up front. Has a lot of work at Duc and Zuk awaiting him but I know I’ll be watching every second!!!
I was about to lose interest in MOTO GP, but now I think 2013 will be an exciting year.Will Rossi be fast on Yam? Spies on a duc? Maybe Hayden running up front? I’ll be watching 2013.
Still not enough for me, I’ll check it out, but no way is it as comparative and exciting as WSB
Making the jump to gp: huge mistake.
Suzuki back in motogp with Spies at the helm…..
Suzuki won’t be back in MotoGP until at least 2014, correct? Maybe the Ducati Jr. team is just a temporary move until then.
I’m guessing that either the money is really good at Ducati and/or there simply aren’t any seats left available in WSBK or AMA SBK in 2013.
Ya right. He leaves Yamaha for a Duc ride? He’s got his eyeball on a Suzuki ride, but if he does go to a Duc as a temporary bandaid, I got to wander if there’s anything behind that eyeball. Say it ain’t so.
MotoGP is for Spaniards?
That’s an interesting way to look at things. While it would be nice, being an American, to have one of our own at the top, they have to earn it!
I like MotoGP just fine and my like or dislike of it has nothing to do with who’s on top. It’s all about competition, man and machine. If you don’t succeed this year try harder next year. Put a little more into the engine, the chassis, train harder, hone your skills to a sharper point, it’s like any sport or endeavor.
I was really looking fwd to seeing him with a top WSBK team for next year. I hope he’s not going to be at the back of the MotoGP grid on an ill handling 2nd rate Ducati. I hope he doesn’t end up like Colin Edwards, a top WSBK Champ stuck at the back of the MotoGP grid for the entire 2nd half of his career.
It would be great to have an American representing at the front of WSBK. MotoGP is for spainards, sponsors and their spainard riders that they buy. I’m loosing interest in MotoGP.
No. Way.