WSBK » Spies: I know what I want to do next year

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Mine own prognostication. What else is there? Honda? A laughing stock now. Suzuki? Chris and Loris have lifetime contracts.Kawasaki? Who they? Ducati? Riding it is making Casey Sick. Must be the fumes from curing carbon fiber. But Spies won't leave WSBK unless he gets on equal equipment. If he's smart. Which he is.

Spies received a lot of criticism last off season asking for too much money... but don't let this mislead anyone to think that Spies would go to the team with the most money. Mark my words, Spies will only sign somewhere he can be competitive. This rules out Suzuki, all Honda satellites, & Alice Ducati MotoGP--as well as--Aprilia wsbk. Spies will sign with Tech 3 IF his contract CLEARLY states his bike will be factory spec and receive full factory support. If he can't get that guarantee, he'll resign with Yamaha WSBK.

So that's it folks... he'll be with Tech 3 or Yamaha WSBK next season.

It would be Toseland's worst nightmare to have Spies take Edward's seat. Imagine Ben joining the team and smokin JT from day one. It would make for a very long season and I don't think he would ever recover his confidence.

CE however would take his fellow Texan under his wing and show him the ropes. I think he would actually take some personal satifaction watching him progress.

Spies will race in GP2 and MOTOGP next year. That way he can catch up to Rossi's world championships in just 4 years.... Since for some reason they count 250cc world championships on the same level as a MOTOGP title. So in 4 year's Spies will equal Rossi and then surpass him, cause a GP2 title is equal to a MOTOGP title right?!?

Quite a good point raised earlier in the thread - Why did Nakajima put effort into Toseland and Edwards if they're both being dropped off to pastures new.
Maybe Yamaha want them in MotoGP and are trying to make the bike better so they will stay and go go to WSB and make things tough for Spies

He'll be riding for the same team next year. There are no competitive bikes available in MotoGP. IF he signs with Suzuki MotoGP I'll personally find him and slap him.

I'd hate to be in Yamaha's shoes right now. Ben wants to go to MotoGP but Yamaha has no suitable replacement for him in WSBK and there may not be a slot for him at the factory level in 2011 given how well Rossi and Lorenzo are going. Ben has to do a year on a satellite MotoGP team so who ever gets him will be doing it based on a promise of a factory ride the following year. If he's on a sat. Honda next year you can bet he'll be at the factory the following year. Unless Lorenzo goes to Honda first. Then, Tech 3 followed by Fiat it'll be.

IF BEN STAYS IN WSBK:
And, given that he's enjoying the racing and the paddock so much, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities for him to stay, he'll likely stay with Yamaha. The bike is fairly competive (Sykes in WSBK, Camier and Ellison in BSBK), Yam has the best reputation in the biz for keeping its riders a "family."

IF BEN GOES TO MOTO GP:
And, given that, at least prior to this year, Moto GP had always been his ultimate goal, this is probably the more likely scenario. If so, some possibilities:

Yamaha:
Rossi, from what he's been saying for the past few weeks, seems likely to race through '10-'11. Lorenzo probably is satisfied with the bike, but possibly may not (cont)

Quick comment on MotoGP...

This one year at a satellite team rule is going to suck. How many carriers will be destroyed because what looked like a great rider wound up on a POS bike and had his dreams dashed? I can completely understand why the MotoGP riders!!! support this idea. Job security. Fewer heir apparents taking prime seats.

This could back fire on MotoGP when great Moto2 riders defect to WSBK and WSBK continues to out shine MotoGP to an even greater extent.

(Cont) want to "play second fiddle" any longer, especially with a divided garage, and test the waters, as his contract is up at the end of this season. If I were Lorenzo, I would stay, but, with Pedrosa's contract also expiring, and without a championship to-date no less, who knows what Lorenzo will decide.

Satellite-wise, as I understand it, not unlike Pramac, Tech 3 pretty much gets factory bikes, perhaps with a few weeks of delay for some parts. But, unlike most satellite Hondas, Tech 3 isn't using prior year spec engines, etc. Herve seems to be going after both Ben and Bautista. It'll be a coup for him if he can get them both. Notwithstanding Nakajima, barring a complete (cont)