Ben Spies Talks About Leaving Yamaha

Today, Cycle World posted a great story by none other than MotoGP’s Ben Spies. Now out of his contractual obligations with Yamaha Racing, Spies can finally speak candidly about his 2012 season, and what was occurring behind close doors within the Yamaha factory team, as well as his contract negotiations within the MotoGP and World Superbike paddocks.

Some of the story we already know, like how a high-ranking Yamaha official told Ben Spies to give 100% or not show up, after the American was sidelined with food poisoning at Mugello. Spies also sheds light on the rumors about his switch back to WSBK, namely with the BMW Motorrad team. Discussing his interactions with HRC and Gresini Racing, Spies also sheds insight about how he ultimately landed in the Ducati Corse camp. Head over to Cycle World, the article is well-worth a read.

What you won’t get in the self-written article, is a clear explanation of all the misfortune and poor results that the American GP rider fell victim to last season. Certainly some of these results have obvious causes, but conspiracy theorists will be frustrated with Spies’s “there’s no way anybody could have planned all that or made it happen…it was just a lot of bad luck” explanation.

Offering only that his Yamaha M1 “wasn’t 100 percent” as well last season, Spies seems ready for next year and the challenges that await him at Ducati. The Texan seems pragmatic about the state of the Desmosedici, and what Ducati and Audi can do about the Italian company’s MotoGP racing program.

Now riding a bike that has dealt a death blow to a bevy of racing careers, 2013 will be an interesting year for Spies, and it will likely mark either the turning point or ending point for the American’s GP racing career. For his part, Spies seems excited about the road ahead. We wish him the best of luck.