Spies shows potential with US GP eighth.

Good race but not enough to see a real potential at home race? Anyway it is a question to judge on the comparision with Hayden?

This is MotoGP. This isn't the old days or Superbike where a wildcard can come in and win or get a podium. When was the last time that happen in MotoGP? Bayliss a couple of years ago but he was a factory rider the year before. Top 10 is great for a wildcard.

I don't know if his performance was enough to secure him a ride at Rizla... Plus, the current fate of the ex superbike riders in GP hasn't been to impressive. i.e. Vermulen, Hayden, and Toseland. The reality is Stoner and Rossi are from another planet and it's going to take someone who has the ability to come in and run in the top 5 on a wildcard debut in order to challenge for a championship.

he's done 2 races on a motogp bike, give the bloke a break...

he's doin better than riders that have been in the field for a few yrs...

given time i think he good have a good crack at this and make something of himself, but he's gonna need a better starting point than suzuki...un:ess he wants to take the same road as hopper...

when will honda decide to stick him on a decent bike...

sorry but Nicky Hayden still is the American #1 rider representing the USA.
Nicky is a USA Pride and we love him and respect him because
despite his difficult moments he hasn't given up. Keep it up Nicky.
you show me to believe in mysef.
no matter what the haters say, you are the bomb baby!

If Spies gets a ride, it's going to take him at least a season to get used to the tracks and the lifestyle. Being on a mid-field bike may be the way to go rather than like Nicky starting at the top. Suzuki wouldn't be all that bad a place to begin.

Vermulen has won a race. He's looks to have taken a step backward this year but so has the bike. Since Spies has been hangin' around Rizla, he has stepped his game up with podiums. Hayden has won the Championship so I have no idea why you even list him. And Toseland is 9th out of 18 regular riders in MotoGP half way through his first year - I won't call that shameful.

Chris V won that race solely on the luck of the draw/gamble with coming in at the right time to switch bikes/tires for the rain....okay, he is a rain wizard, I do not doubt that, but if he was that good in the rain, then he would have been pressuring Rossi and Stoner at the Sachsenring Race, not just bringing it home in 3rd...

Do I think Chris would have beetter results on a better bike? No doubt.

Do I think Ben Spies will have mediocre results if he comes on next year with Suzuki? No doubt.

I think even Bayliss was surprised but then no one can deny his talent.

Suzuki = mediocre bike = mediocre results. What else should Spies and Chris V expect? To be challenging for podiums? Their team is behind Honda (factory and Dovi bike), Yamaha (factory and tech 3), and factory Ducati (Casey at least!). So don't discount Chris V podiums and single win.

Raw Dog, I'm referring to the 800's and the superbike riders. If you look at guys like Dovisioso and Lorenzo, they are getting far better results than Toseland, Vermulen, and even Hayden.

I'm not sure what series you folks have been watching, but it's not Motogp. Chris V has been on the last 2 race podiums, so I would say he's hardly taken a step backward.

Spies did well, beating the hell out of some well seasoned factory riders and experienced satellite regulars. I don't think the suzuki is mediocre either. It's as good as any bike on the grid. Let Chris V continue to stand on the podium and as his confidence grows, watch his positions improve.

I think Chris had done a fine job this season, the Suzuki was poor at the beginning of the year and is slowly improving, but Chris has kept his head down and got on with the job. Spies is still a mystery to me, only time will tell how good he really is - I wish him well.

'Chris V won that race solely on the luck of the draw/gamble with coming in at the right time to switch bikes/tires for the rain....'

Probably you didn't watch that race.
It looks Chris is the fourth power on the grid now.. grid with much more than three better bikes than blue baby.

Hackings job was better, first motogp race and on the crappy kawasaki..... great stuff, its proberbly a better job than hopper would have done!!!

Just read that Spies had to be hospitalised following the race for an emergency appendectomy, I wonder if this had an affect on his performance?

Regarding Hacking, no doubt about the fact that he can deliver, he's good! Take nothing away from the top riders in the AMA they can race with anyone!

In my opinion far to much time is spent on criticizing others for lack of knowledge about a paticular series or rider. We should ask questions if we're unfamiliar.

although ben has done well at ama(being on the best bike you would)i think theres to much hype around him and regarding hayden being america's no1 rider on the international circuit thats title belongs to colin edwards how he never got the factory ride over hayden at motogp is one hell of a puzzle the man won two wsbk championships against some of the best riders on the planet.facts not hype.

Rossi won 2 championships on the same factory bike Colin had and yet Colin has zero wins. Nicky has a world championship in this series, Colin doesn't.

That's why Nick is referred to as the top American. Colin has done better this season, sure. I am an Edwards fan. I'm also realistic.

lets be honest when hayden won that year he had a lot of luck yamaha's poor showing helped him no end even the great rossi couldnt do anymore to improve the bike has for colin he may not have won motogp race or title but he is still the better rider/developer.even pedrosa has no confidence in hayden's skill in developing a bike theres alot more to motogp than just raceday

Aside from the dismal Aprilia and this year, Colin never rode around on a bike that he had a big hand in developing. The factory Honda was developed by Checca/Hayden/whoever when Col rode for Telefonica. The Yamaha has been tailored to Rossi's style up until this year because he couldn't do the majority of the pre-season testing on it. Had he been in the factory Honda seat as long as Hayden has, and developed it to his liking - I have no doubt that he would have won races by now. When Col first switched to Yamaha he thought his style was similar to Rossi, but as time has gone on that's not the case so a bike developed for Rossi doesn't always work for others.