Ben Spies speaks about his retirement from Yamaha – MotoGP news
Ben Spies, former Yamaha rider, finally speaks of the reasons that lead to his move from Yamaha to Ducati.
2012 was a relentless season for Spies in which he suffered numerous accidents and an unusually long run of bad luck. Halfway through the 2012 season, he had made the announcement of his retirement from Yamaha through internet. Spies confirmed that the comments
of a senior Yamaha official at Mugello made him retire from Yamaha.
“A senior Yamaha employee - that's as specific as I'm going to get - said to me, ‘We've invested a lot of money in you. Don't come to Laguna Seca if you aren't 100 percent.’ Then, he added, ‘We've lost confidence in you.’ That was the moment when I decided
I wasn't going to ride for Yamaha in 2013. When someone talks down to you like that, you lose respect for them,” Spies said.
“I had food poisoning at Mugello. I shouldn't even have started that race. I got sick in my helmet, and afterward, I was dry-heaving and shaking uncontrollably,” Spies told CycleWorld.com.
Until now, Spies has failed to impress. In his 3 years with Yamaha, the Texan could post only one Grand Prix victory which came in 2011 Dutch TT. Apart from the victory in 2011 Dutch TT, a total of six podiums were all Spies could achieve over three years.
Having spent three consecutive MotoGP seasons with Yamaha Factory Racing, Spies will no longer be riding for Yamaha in the 2013 season.
Valentino Rossi, who will be a teammate of Jorge Lorenzo, has taken Spies’ place in the Yamaha team. Following his run of bad luck riding for Yamaha, Spies admitted that he had considered returning to WSBK, but had ultimately decided against the idea. The
Texan rider will continue his MotoGP career.
Following his retirement from Yamaha, Spies was approached by Honda. But he decided to pursue his MotoGP career with satellite Pramac Ducati team instead.
Spies was scheduled to get his first feel of the Ducati bike in the Valencia test last year but was denied the chance due to a shoulder injury that he suffered in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Now, Spies will make his Ducati debut at the Sepang test in February.
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