Casey Stoner may have left Jorge Lorenzo adrift by almost six tenths of second, but the Mallorcan rider admitted that at this stage of testing chasing lap times is not that important, even though the Yamaha rider admitted was satisfied that he improved on his best record at this track and the fact that the new Bridgestone tires give a lot more confidence.

Jorge Lorenzo:

“I’m really, really satisfied, I have improved on my best record here in Sepang. We tried a lot of things; some have been a lot better, especially one major improvement. We also know where we have to improve in the future. The electronics are not perfect yet, we still need to make it smoother but the bike has so much potential we are very optimistic. The Yamaha engineers have worked really hard so they have done a good job. I made my best time today at midday which is the hardest time with the conditions so it was pretty good. Let’s see what we can do when we come back.”

Ben Spies completed only sixteen laps today, but they were more than enough for the “lean and mean” American to leave Sepang in a happy mood.

“It’s been a good test, we’ve got a lot of things accomplished, we’re definitely moving in the right direction with my bike. I tried the Yamaha test rider’s bike today which had a slightly different set up to make a fair comparison with mine. I made a small mistake, losing the front but that’s testing; it can happen when you’re working out the good and bad! All in all it’s been great and I’m really happy and looking forward to coming back and seeing what’s new,” said Spies.

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Yamaha Factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies continued to show promising form today in the second day of the Sepang test, the first official 1000cc MotoGP test of 2012. Having spent yesterday getting back into the rhythm of riding, today was spent focusing on comparative testing in a number of areas.

The team worked to gather data to optimise the balance of the 2012 YZR-M1 chassis whilst also working to refine the power delivery of the increased engine capacity through electronics and power delivery. Spies led the field for the majority of the day with team mate Lorenzo just behind, the Texan eventually knocked from the top spot by just 0.157 seconds by Casey Stoner. Tomorrow’s final day of testing will see a further shakedown by the Yamaha riders before they return in one month’s time for the second test of the season.

Ben Spies:

“We got going pretty well in the morning, then even when the track started to slow down the pace was still really good. We started to mess with the balance of the bike a little today and played with the electronics to find a good foundation with the bike. At Valencia we compared some stuff and got in the right direction. Now we’re here and taking the next step, trying some things to see how it affects the set up. There’s definitely some room for improvement and some areas we’re not struggling with at all.”

Jorge Lorenzo:

“Today I was much more tired than yesterday so it was tough to finish with a good pace but we managed it. We didn’t find any big improvements but some small details. Tomorrow we hope to make one big step. We improved our lap times a lot in the morning but in the afternoon when it was even hotter we managed to go faster which is very positive.”

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The Far East doesn’t seem to agree with Ben Spies’ stomach. The Yamaha rider is currently in Indonesia with team mate Jorge Lorenzo for a Yamaha PR tour and fell sick with a bout of food poisoning. This is the second time that the American rider has suffered the same problem, as it already happened when he was travelling to the Motegi GP last September and it kept him from completeing the second free practice.

Before falling ill, Spies and Lorenzo visited Indonesian Yamaha R Series Cup racers that are part of a unique Yamaha Coaching Clinic. The MotoGP stars gave tips on rider positioning, cornering and overtaking to the delighted local riders.

Later Lorenzo went on to help Yamaha Motor Indonesia launch the new Yamaha Byson motorcycle to an audience of over 3000 Indonesian Yamaha Dealers at a special event just outside Jakarta. The 150cc Byson street bike is Yamaha’s star new machine for 2012 in Indonesia. Spies was due to co-host alongside his team mate however a bout of food poisoning unfortunately meant he was unable to participate.

Continue reading: Ben Spies gets sick during Yamaha Indonesia tour

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All the top riders in MotoGP contracts expire at the end of this season and while Valentino Rossi has said that he’d like to race for another couple of years and maybe negotiate another two year contract with Ducati, if things go better this season, Yamaha’s Lin Jarvis has shut the door on the eventuality of the Italian returning to his old team.

Jarvis has already said that keeping Jorge Lorenzo is a key priority for them, with a nod also towards negotiations with Casey Stoner, but Rossi is “not an option.”

Jarvis commenting on silly season rumors of having Rossi back as a team mate with Lorenzo said, “It’s an interesting question, but right now I have no idea what projects Valentino has for the future, if he’ll continue motorcycle racing or turn to car racing like he talked about when he was with us. In any case, Valentino and Jorge together again Yamaha is not an option we are considering for the future.

Continue reading: Lin Jarvis: "Valentino Rossi back in Yamaha is not an option"

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Ben Spies is Dallas’s newest restraurant entrerpreneur, he’s an investor in the Kenishi sushi restaurant and recently opened a burger joint called Stackhouse Burgers with friend Randy Keinast.

Spies isn’t the most loquacious of guys, but at least he’s promoting MotoGP and his book Taking it to the Next Level to mainstream Texans which hopefully will also help promote the 2013 Austin GP, now that construction work at the Circuit of the Americas has resumed.

Source | motospeedrace.com

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Already missing MotoGP action? How about this highlight video that covers Ben Spies’ second year in the premier class riding the Yamaha factory M1.

‘Elbowz’ finished 4th in the overall standings and climbed up on the podium four times in 2011, with a fantastic win at Assen, a second place at Valencia where he was pipped for the victory by just 0.015s and two third places, at Catalunya and Indianapolis.

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Who would ever thought that the final race of the 800cc era would actually go to the line? Casey Stoner and Ben Spies gave fans something to watch in final laps of the Valencia race and it was the first time since the debut of the 800’s that we’ve seen a race won by a mere 0.015s margin.

For Stoner it was his first fought out win of the entire season, but for Spies it was a fantastic comeback after missing the last two GP races due to head and rib injuries and another woeful crash on Friday afternoon. Both riders will be testing their respective 1000cc machines on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“My heart was in my throat! “ said Casey Stoner. “We did such a good job all the race and then it started to rain heavily. Being the first one to arrive to the conditions on the track, I wasn’t sure how hard to push so I slowed up to ensure I finished the race and I thought if they come past I can stay with them. Then coming onto the back straight I made a slight mistake when I went into neutral instead of first gear and Ben came past me. I tried to stay with him but he was riding very well, fast and smooth and he looked confident in the conditions, more so than me. In the first half of the final lap he made a nice gap but I knew we were quick in the second half of the lap. I thought to myself, we haven’t been able to take any risks all season, this is the time to take one and see what we can do. I knew I had a better exit line out of the final turn and I kept my head down and went for the line. It’s amazing to win this on the finish line, I’ve had it done to me in the past a few times but I’ve never done it to anyone else! I’m sorry for Ben, he rode a great race, a big thanks to my team for all their hard work this year”.

Continue reading: Casey Stoner takes the risk while Ben Spies gets the paint sucked off

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Hitz.fm is an Asian broadcasting station out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and their morning talk show crew interviewed Yamaha’s Ben Spies with this Q&A session, ahead of what later turned out to be a very difficult and sad Sepang weekend for everyone.

Spies is noted as being a quiet and reserved person, but he carries off this embarassing interview with style and panache, even with Yamaha team manager Massimo Meregalli and mom Mary standing in the background.

Enjoy.

Source | bikesportnews.com

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Jorge Lorenzo has decided to skip the last MotoGP race of the season at Valencia.

With Casey Stoner having already taken the title, and with no other rider able to take away his second place in the standings, the Yamaha rider can concentrate on getting back to full fitness following the surgery he had to undergo to repair the extensive damage to left middle and ring finger, a result of his warm-up practice crash at Phillip Island.

Lorenzo will again be replaced by Katsuyuki Nakasuga.

After withdrawing from the Sepang GP, Ben Spies will be at Valencia and the Yamaha factory team will again appear with the red and white 50th anniversary of Grand Prix livery.

“I can’t believe I won’t be battling Marco on the track this weekend, it’s an incredibly sad way to finish the season. I’m going to honour him in the best way I know how, on the track. As with last year I arrive in Valencia recovering from injuries, but will of course give 100% of my efforts into performing to the best of my ability,” said Spies.

While Katsuyuki Nakasuga said, “It was a great honour to be chosen to ride for Jorge at Sepang and here at Valencia. Due to the tragic loss of Marco Simoncelli in Malaysia the race was cancelled. This weekend the track will be new for me but I will try as hard as I can to deliver good results.”

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Ben Spies arrived in Malaysia full of aches and pains following his qualifying crash at Phillip Island that left him with concussion and ripped tissue around his ribs which ruled him out of the Australian GP.

Now seven days later the factory Yamaha rider who had been declared fit to ride has decided to withdraw ahead of tomorrow’s race at the Sepang International circuit.

Spies struggled through Friday’s practice sessions and today crashed twice, once in the third free practice and then again during qualifying where he managed just a 16th place. The team and rider decided it was better that he opt out of the race and try to recover for the season finale at Valencia in two weeks time and for the official post-race test.

The American will also skip the 1000cc test that Yamaha had programmed for Monday. The grid is now down to 16 riders.

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There was some doubt whether Ben Spies would be able to ride in this weekend’s MotoGP race at Sepang following his highspeed crash during qualifying at Phillip Island which ruled him out out of the Australian race, but the Yamaha factory rider has been declared fit to ride.

Spies suffered a concussion and a cracked rib as a result of the crash, but is ready to return to action on a track that he particularly enjoys.

“Unfortunately I’m definitely still recovering from Phillip Island,” said Spies, “but I’m going to give it 100% as we always do. It’s frustrating but it’s been a bit of a year for bad luck. We’ll do the best with what we’ve got and see what we can achieve.”

Japanese rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga will replace the recovering Jorge Lorenzo this weekend and will be testing the 1000cc Yamaha on Monday alongside Spies.

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Today’s MotoGP race at Phillip Island has lost another rider after Jorge Lorenzo injured himself during warm-up practice, because Yamaha team mate Ben Spies has decided to withdraw from the event following his yesterday’s high speed qualifying crash.

Spies took part in this morning’s warm-up and turned in a total of 12 laps, but had some problems with a pinched nerve in his neck which was causing him reduced concentration and the circuit doctors decided it would be too dangerous to let him ride.

Damian Cudlin who was subbing for injured Hector Barbera, has also decided to withdraw ahead of today’s race following his highside during yesterday’s free practice. The Australian suffered a left hip injury.

The MotoGP grid will see only fourteen riders today.

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