Ben Spies

AppiePappie

MF veteraan
24 jul 2008
8.363
0
Aangezien ik hoge verwachting heb van zowel de Yamaha 2009 als Ben Spies verdient hij wel een topic hier op MF. :)

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Elbow Room: It's Tuesday; This Must Be Monza
by Ben Spies

I'll be running the number 19 next year in World Superbike. My best friend when I was 14, his number was 19. We were on the same team, and he passed away. His name was Ryan Smith.

Beyond that reason, the number nineteen just keeps coming up way too many times for me to ignore it. A couple of my friends noticed it as well. I'm not very superstitious and I don't do a whole lot of weird things, but my little cousin, that was his number all through high school. My long-time girlfriend back when I was a teenager - we're still good friends - it was her number in high school too. And things like, when I'm filling up at a truck stop, it always seems to be I'm at island no. 19. Or with my thousands of miles that I do on the road in the motorhome, every time I look up at a mile marker, it ends in 19. I figured it was time to put it into action, and hopefully my old buddy can help me out as much as he can, because we're going to need it this year, that's for sure.

We flew into Portugal on Thursday night before the race. We got to the track and stayed low-key, watched everybody for the whole weekend. It was really cool to see Troy Bayliss go out on top. He's an awesome racer, and for him to sweep the weekend like that, so convincingly, it was pretty cool to watch. I was very impressed with the paddock and the people. From hospitality, to the pit boxes and the garages, to the teams - I don't know a whole lot of people in GP, so I don't want to give the wrong vibe out, but it did seem a little more friendly. The riders definitely had a little more connection with each other. People were definitely having fun, and that was cool to see.

Then Monday I showed up to watch the journalists ride. Michael Schumacher rode the Yamaha a little bit, and I got to chat with him. Then at noon, they said, "At 4:00 we want you to go out and do a couple laps, just ride the bike for the first time at the end of the day." That was fun. Then I started out Tuesday and Wednesday. We did our first two-day test, and it was good. I think we did about 25 laps total on Haga's bike, and that was good. On the first day, they said the track was not quite up to par, and we got pretty good times on that, for just running some standard stuff and pretty much Nori's setup. Then we moved to the '09 bike and did laps.

The whole purpose of the test, for me, really, was to work with the team and let them get data on the '09 bike, because it's very early in development, and very mildly built. That's about all I can say.

What we came away from the test with was really good. I got a really good feel for the tires, and did a lot of laps on those. And the suspension, I'm running Öhlins now. Working with the team. It was really good - it was awesome. And to get going with the times we were doing on the '09 bike, I was really happy with. It was good, because there's quite a bit to go. I was very happy with that. And just to get on the track with those guys. Not everybody was there, but my teammate was there, and Shakey Byrne, and Biaggi, and Haslam, who'd been on the podium on Sunday. It was good to get on the track with those guys and see how we went.

Walking away from the test, I think it was a really successful test. If I'd been a second and a half off the front of the times for the first time on the tires and bike, I would have been ecstatic, and to end up where we did, it was unbelievable. I can't go into a whole lot of detail about the bikes, but it was pretty amazing, and I look forward to riding them. They're awesome. I hope every weekend goes like that, and hopefully I can just see it getting better. I'm looking forward to the '09 season.

Schumacher showed everybody that he's pretty quick. He came to a track that he didn't know, along with everybody else, and he was good. He was exactly where I thought he would be. Obviously not quite on the pace, but definitely, for a weekend rider kind of guy, he was up front, and what I can say about Michael is I can see why he's done what he's done. Even though he's not at the speed that the front guys are at, it's amazing, if you listen to him talk, the feedback he can give. He understands suspension and mapping and all the different tires he tried, and he can really break it down. It's pretty amazing. I think Michael could obviously run up front now in the Formula One cars and probably still be the best at it, even without the driving aids they used to have, the brakes and the traction control and stuff. When he was in the cars, those aids are why the cars go around as fast as they do - the traction control, the brake control, all the different adjustments with the wings and all that stuff. Even though a lot of people complained that it takes the driving out of them, it really takes the driver to set the car up. That's where I can understand how he did that, because he is so good with feeling the changes and being able to talk about what every component is doing, and break it down. He understands the mechanicals of a motorcycle.

I'm in Milan right now. I'll be checking out the Milan Motorcycle Show tomorrow. I get to run the Monza track early in the morning. But I just can't wait, for the new team, the new bike, and living at least half of the year in Italy will be a big change. It's going to keep everything new, and fun, and fresh. I'm really looking forward to it. I think it's going to be a tough year, with learning some tracks, but it's going to be fun. The '09 bike is going to be unbelievable, I think. From where it started when we first took the first couple of laps on it, to where we ended the test, and knowing where it is in its development, it makes for an exciting year. To be living over here part of the year and traveling the world, I'm going to have a whole lot of fun, that's for sure.

The team manager, Massimo Meregalli, is doing a marathon in a couple of weeks. I showed up on Friday and told him I needed to go jog or something. I don't have my bicycle with me, and always like to do something getting off the plane, to get everything woken back up. He's like, "Yeah, we need to go run the track," and we set off running. Little did I know he'd been training for a marathon. We ended up running 10 or 11 miles right off the spot. I was like, "Wow." That's pretty cool. He's a pretty good runner, so that was fun. It's good to know that he's fit, too, so training will be more fun in Italy, because I'll be able to train with him. Tomorrow we'll go run a couple of laps of the Monza track in the morning before we go to the Milan show. I'm just having a lot of fun. He's a great manager and I really had fun with the team.

Tom Sykes, my teammate, he's a funny English guy. We got along right from the start, and did a lot of work with the '09 together and tried to get through a lot of parts. I think he's going to work out really well. He's a really good rider, too.

I've watched racing forever, so it'll be really cool to see Monza, and I'm looking forward to riding it. It was funny - this guy came up to me and started talking to me. He was the Yamaha Supersport director. I thought I recognized him, but I wasn't sure. It was Wilco Zeelenberg, a 250 rider from the early '90s. I watched him when he was wearing that bright orange helmet. He got on the podium at Assen, I think it was '92 or '93. I've been watching the sport for a long time. I just can't wait to ride Monza, and Phillip Island especially. The race shop's five minutes from Monza, so we'll be able to go run a couple of laps. It'll be great. I'm also hoping maybe Imola gets back on the schedule, because Monza and Imola are the two tracks that I really want to ride, and Imola especially, after I saw the battle between Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss a few years ago. That was an awesome race. He said, "Hey, let's go run Monza in the morning," and I was like, "Hell yeah!"

Everything's really fun. It's not every day that people get put in this situation. I'm definitely going to try to get everything out of it that I can. I hope to have a great year. Come business time, I want to run up front and try to do good for Yamaha and me, and try to win races and do all those things. That part's definitely going to be hard, but I'm looking forward to a really fun year.
 
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Ik vind Ben een een goeie spectaculaire rijder, is altijd mooi om hem te zien rijden met ze elleboog aan de grond :}
Denk wel dat hij het volgend jaar goed gaat doen.
 
Daar is toch ook ooit een film over gemaakt: "Totally Spies"

En er zijn ook verschillende gerechten verkrijgbaar die geïnspireerd zijn door hem: kipspies, varkensspies e.d.



:P
 
Daar is toch ook ooit een film over gemaakt: "Totally Spies"

En er zijn ook verschillende gerechten verkrijgbaar die geïnspireerd zijn door hem: kipspies, varkensspies e.d.



:P

:}

ik ben ook benieuwd wat hij gaat doen komend seizoen, denk wel dat hij in de top 5 gaat rijden, en misschien wel beter :)
 
Als hij zo blijft rijden zeker weten :Y

Maar "we" gaan nu europa in en dan komt Haga meestal pas los. Maar Valencia is de volgende stop en daar heeft Spies al een keer gereden dus dat moet hopelijk weer helemaal goed gaan komen :)

Dan Monza en dan Assen *O*
 

Briljant,wat een stijl.Tijdens de race in Losail eens op gelet omdat iedereen dit zegt maar echt heel mooi om te zien.
Een aanwinst voor SBK :Y
Waarom heeft Suzuki hem en Sykes niet proberen te houden :? ,het zijn gouden coureurs.Yamaha heeft hier een groot geluk mee na het vertrek van Haga en Corser.
:Y
 
It's been a Texas-sized beginning of the year for Yamaha's Ben Spies. He's won three of the four World Superbike races he's entered.

Some are surprised at the results but the long-time Spies observers can see he's really doing the same types of things he did in winning three AMA Superbike championships.

Race one was a classic Spies race, one where he had to use strategy after he didn't get a good start. After leading every session of the weekend, the breakaway attempt was out the window.

The early laps saw him stick in a close fifth in a five rider pack. Spies looked content to save his tires while the laps clicked off - a common theme in his career. When Jakob Smrz in third began to lose leader Biaggi and Haga, Spies made two quick passes and closed down the gap to the front.

It was clear Spies was satisfied with being near enough to make his move. He was going to wait it out, save the tire, and make a go near the end.

Opportunity presented itself with six laps to go when Haga made a move on Biaggi down the straight. They say a rider is most vulnerable when he's making a move on someone else. Spies made the pass on Haga and then took Biaggi a few corners later, using the Yamaha's nimbleness to get the power down better from mid-corner to exit.

From there, it was rocket mode to pull six tenths of a second over the rest of the lap. One more time around saw the gap at more than a second. From there, he was halfway to Longview, Texas over his rivals as Haga and Biaggi were left to fighting for the scraps.

The common theme is Spies is good on worn tires but he's also a master of making the rubber last. It's something crewchief Tom Houseworth has drummed in his head since the Formula Xtreme days, and Ben clearly has an aptitude for it.

Race two saw Spies get a better start but he was still third in the early laps. He used his mid-corner advantage to get past Biaggi. After drafting past Haga a couple of laps later, he made another run and consolidated his gap for the Desert Double.

From watching the first few races of the year, it looks like the Yamaha - a new design and even a different concept from recent Yamaha Superbikes with the big bang engine - is down a few ponies to some of the other bikes. They R1 was giving up several kilometers per hour down the straight. If the Tuning Fork boys find some more power, it could get really scary for the competition.
 
Ik mag hopen dat ze bij Yamaha juist dat stukje éxtra niet vinden. Spies heeft nu al 3 van de 4 races weten te winnen, waarvan twee op dominerende wijze en het zou jammer zijn als Spies dit jaar dominerend wereldkampioen wordt.

Knap, bijzonder knap. Dat wel. Maar zeker jammer, gezien 2009 hét superbike jaar zou moeten worden! :}

Maar, het seizoen is nog lang. Er kan van alles gebeuren, Spies dendert lekker rond en ik moet zeggen dat ik het, na nu net het verhaal uit de OP gelezen te hebben, een hele toffe gast vind! Lekker zichzelf, geniet van de sport en erg sympathiek.
 
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[http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/yamaha-world-superbike-team-phillip-island/big_yamaha_superbike_team_2009_australia_01.jpg (afbeelding)]

[http://static.blogo.it/motoblog/superbike-2009-losail-prove-libere-e-qualifiche/big_01_ben_spies_05.jpg (afbeelding)]

Hij kan dit jaar maar zo eens de titel gaan pakken!
Detail, hij klemt zn knie niet tegen zn tank...?
 
Detail, hij klemt zn knie niet tegen zn tank...?

nee mooi he, en zijn onderarm ook niet tegen de tank, hij zit er op als op een crosser ellebogen in de lucht, vindt wel gaaf om zien (bij crossen doen trouwens de knie wel tege nde tank)
 
Ben Spies, na drie overwinningen uit vier races nu al de revelatie van het 2009 seizoen van het WK Superbike, heeft in een interview laten weten dat het wel even kan duren voordat hij het kampioenschap zal verlaten.

Nadat het een tijdje zeker leek dat Ben Spies dit seizoen voor Suzuki in de MotoGP zou gaan rijden kon de Amerikaan op zoek naar een andere mogelijkheid nadat het MotoGP team het contract met hun huidige rijders verlengde.
Spies vond uiteindelijk onderdak bij het fabrieksteam van Yamaha in het World Superbike en heeft het daar, en in het kampioenschap zelf, erg naar zijn zin. Er zal een goede mogelijkheid en een goede motor voor nodig zijn om hem bij het kampioenschap weg te krijgen.

"MotoGP is nog steeds de koningsklasse van de racerij met Valentino, Casey en Dani maar er zijn een paar verkeerde stappen gemaakt, de meeste daarvan is de economische crisis de oorzaak," vertelde Spies in een interview met Crash.net. "Als je dan nu naar het WK Superbike kijkt dan is dat erg leuk. De races zijn erg gaaf!"

"Ik hou mijn opties open en er zullen altijd wel geruchten zijn maar ik heb het erg naar mijn zin en het Yamaha team is geweldig. Ik zal de MotoGP net definitief naast me neerleggen maar ik heb het gewoon erg naar mijn zin met wat ik doe zodat het wel en tijdje kan duren voordat ik weg ga. Ik zal volgen wat er in beide kampioenschappen gebeurt en mijn opties moeten bekijken."

Spies heeft vorig jaar als wildcard een paar keer kunnen ruiken aan de MotoGP en zegt dat het plezier in het WK Superbike voor hem erg belangrijk is en dat mist hij in de MotoGP.

"Je moet plezier hebben. Ik ben begonnen met racen zonder er geld voor te krijgen omdat het gewoon leuk was. Ik heb mijn familie met flinke schulden opgezadeld omdat het racen leuk was. Als je geen plezier hebt kan je het niet blijven doen," aldus Spies.

"Als je naar het WK Superbike kijkt dan hoor je van iedereen dat het het beste paddock is. Ze racen hard en soms ook wat ruig maar iedereen geeft elkaar een schouderklopje. Ik ben ook in het MotoGP paddock geweest en daar is veel meer haat en nijd en dat geld ook voor de media en de sponsors. Er zal een goede aanbieding moeten komen en een goede motor voordat ik de overstap zal maken want ik wil plezier hebben in het racen, waar ik ook race, dat is het belangrijkste voor mij."

Aldus Racesport.nl

Voorlopig zijn we dus nog niet van Spies af in het World Superbike, en daar kunnen we heel blij mee zijn! *D Ik denk ook zeker dat 'ie gelijk heeft wat de verschillen in paddocks betreft. In het WSB heerst nog niet vriendelijke, sportieve sfeer. In het MotoGP paddock is die sfeer verdwenen, kijk maar naar al die scheidingswanden in de pitboxen van de teams. De MotoGP is te groot geworden, heeft haar gemoedelijkheid en charmes verloren en plukt daar de vruchten van.
 
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