Cool shit: Ben Spies' new duc

[tecknojoe]

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/raci...ducati-livery/

Along with the unveiling of the Ducati Corse factory team, Ben Spies, Andrea Iannone, and the rest of the Pramac Ducati team were on hand at the 2013 Wrooom event to unveil their factory-supported hardware. Continuing the close relationship between Ducati Corse and Pramac Team Principal Paolo Campinoti, the Pramac Ducati squad will help Ducati develop the Desmosidici race bike during the 2013 MotoGP season.
Though the logos may be sparse, Pramac Ducati sees the addition of Ignite Asset Management to the team’s livery, a New York-based asset management firm. Moving from the factory Yamaha team to the Ducati “junior” squad, Spies will be joined by Moto2 star Iannone, who captivated fans last year with his aggressive riding style and back-end cornering procedures.
“I am excited to be a part of the Ducati family,” said Spies. “This is something I’ve wanted from the beginning of my racing career. My team and I have our work cut out for us and new goals to meet, but we’ll benefit from factory support and Audi coming on board. Ducati has four strong riders with different styles, which should improve the Desmosedici and bring it back up to the top where it belongs.”
“We’re very pleased with the agreement we’ve reached with Ignite Pramac Racing Team for 2013, which has the Francesco Guidotti-run team taking on factory-supported status, with an even closer link to Ducati’s racing department,” said Ducati Corse MotoGP Project Director Paolo Ciabatti.
“This is also demonstrated with the presence for the first time of Pramac Racing Team at Wrooom, the fantastic event taking place in Madonna di Campiglio,” Ciabatti continued. “We’re very confident that Ben Spies will be able to use his talents to help us with the development of the bike and to achieve the results we’re after more quickly, and we thank the sponsor Ignite Asset Management for its support on this project.”

[FZjake719]

AWESOME!

Im definitely cheering for Spies regardless of what he's riding, even if I do bleed blue and white... I do have to say Im intrigued by Audi stepping in, and curious as to what differences theyre going to be making as far as developement goes for the Desmo. It's going to be interesting, for sure.

[tecknojoe]

I used to be a big spies fan. He is definitely good. I just don't like his attitude. Wish he would lighten up a little bit

met him at laguna one year and got his autograph on a cool photo of him. That was pretty cool

[FZjake719]

I used to be a big spies fan. He is definitely good. I just don't like his attitude. Wish he would lighten up a little bit

met him at laguna one year and got his autograph on a cool photo of him. That was pretty cool

Yea, I tend to think his attitude has changed over the last year or so with the luck he had at Yamaha, esp last season. It's got to be hard on you mentally to have a string of events like that happening, especially one after another like that. It's like the "Quicksand" reference in the movie The Replacements.

I do have to say though, I am impressed not only with how he rides, but with how he is always quick to thank his team when he does well, and blame himself when he doesnt. To me, that shows he's both humble and respectful. I definitely can appreciate that.

Either way though, He had to be super stressed with the results he was getting and his string of luck, much how I assume Rossi was feeling over in Duc-land.... ??

[salsashark]

I hope he does well w/ parmac...

but, I'll miss the lime green livery.

[kawasakirob]

Nice looking bike with a US sponsor. Sweet

[kawasakirob]

Dovi's looks pretty sweet too

[buddahson]

Bike looks sweet. Did you see this article? Ben gave a lot of insight of why he was leaving Yamaha and his frustrations. I was kind of down on Spies attitude as well, but this article helped me understand where hes coming from a bit better.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2013/01/02...ha-for-ducati/

[tecknojoe]

Bike looks sweet. Did you see this article? Ben gave a lot of insight of why he was leaving Yamaha and his frustrations. I was kind of down on Spies attitude as well, but this article helped me understand where hes coming from a bit better.

http://www.cycleworld.com/2013/01/02...ha-for-ducati/

Yea I saw that, definitely a good read. I do feel for him. But I've felt his attitude before this past season has just been too serious. I don't think he has ever had an expression that looks like he's enjoying himself since he got on the gp grid

[Rabbie303]

Nice looking bike!! I guess we will see soon enough what is looks like when Ben crashes....

[DanFZ1]

Sweet Machine ...

I can't help but think that his chances would be immeasurably better on a factory Yamaha. (..one that doesn't self-destruct..)

...and considering that he was able to put up with Mat Mladin for a team mate, I still cannot fathom why he acted so thin skinned toward Yamaha. Maybe he knew Rossi was coming back, and in a game of MotoGP musical chairs, this was the best ride he could get.

[Boom]

I can't help but think that his chances would be immeasurably better on a factory Yamaha.

I hear you about the reliability of the yamaha, but the yamaha's strength is cornering speed, and Spies himself (in his recent coming out interview) claims to be a point and shoot rider. This is exactly what the Ducati is said to be good at.

I don't have allegiance with either machine really, but I am excited to see what will happen when the strengths of the bike match those of the rider. Go Ben!

[DanFZ1]

I hear you about the reliability of the yamaha, but the yamaha's strength is cornering speed, and Spies himself (in his recent coming out interview) claims to be a point and shoot rider. This is exactly what the Ducati is said to be good at.

I don't have allegiance with either machine really, but I am excited to see what will happen when the strengths of the bike match those of the rider. Go Ben!

...your right, I hadn't thought about that. It will also be interesting to see how his season will stack up compared to Nicky Haydens.

[Boom]

I hear you. I recently watched On Any Sunday 2 (1981, currently available streaming on netflix), and it was cool to see an american go shake up the euro scene like that. Am I right that Hayden was the last american to win in...what, '07?

[mauser72]

Hayden won in 06 (by the skin of his teeth)

[DanFZ1]

I hear you. I recently watched On Any Sunday 2 (1981, currently available streaming on netflix), and it was cool to see an american go shake up the euro scene like that. Am I right that Hayden was the last american to win in...what, '07?

2006.

Aside from CE II and Ben Spies in WSBK, it's been a bit of a dry spell. So far, only Nickey Hayden was able to get it done in MotoGP in the 21st century.

[longrider]

It is crazy how the championship has gone in regards to nationality. The US was a powerhouse in '78 thru '93, winning every year except '81, '82, and '87. Since then it has been a real dry spell with just Kenny Roberts Jr in 2000 and Hayden in '06

[mauser72]

Americans did so well during that era because they all came from flat tracking and came with a whole new style of riding, being loose on the bike and letting them slide around the europeans caught on and that was that road racing is just so much bigger over there more parents start their kids road racing then here in america were just too into nascar.

[DanFZ1]

Spies on a satellite team, CE II on a CRT bike, and Hopkins gone from MotoGP altogether. Only Hayden is on a factory ride, and it's the Ducati. I know it's tough to win a MotoGP Championship, but you would think that we would have done better by now, considering the resources we've thrown at it.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not down on these guys. It just sucks watching somebody new come along and we end up with the same situation year after year. Now with Spies moving from a factory team to a satellite team, it's starting to wear a little thin ...

[spideyrdr]

I think it's impossible to predict how anyone changing teams will do, but I have hopes for Spies. He had to have had the worst season ever last year with so many failures and that might light an even bigger fire under his ass to do well with Ducati even if (or especially because) it's not a full factory ride. It's a little unsettling to hear Gobmeier talk about 2013 being a season of development, but they are clearly aiming to improve rather than start from scratch.

It'll be cool to see such a shaken up grid in 2013. The legend Stoner gone perhaps too soon. Rossi on a Yamaha. Nicky and Ben wringing the Ducs. Some rising stars from Moto2 joining the ranks. Just 3 months until COTA!

[sprtbkbabe]

MotoGP: Ben Spies targets podiums for Pramac Ducati team

By Azi Farni BBC pit-lane reporter in Madonna di Campiglio

Ben Spies is confident of a return to fighting for podiums with Ducati in 2013 after a MotoGP season to forget with Yamaha last year.
American Spies, 28, endured a series of mechanical problems and crashes in 2012 which saw him finish 10th in the championship.
After signing for Pramac Ducati, Spies is hopeful of shining on the bike.
He said: "I think the bike is better than what people have seen in the last two years."

Spies took six podiums including a race win with Yamaha, with his best championship finish of fifth coming in 2011 as team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finished second to world champion Casey Stoner.

But the American is confident he can continue to fight with the likes of Briton Cal Crutchlow and German Stefan Bradl for podiums as he gets used to his new machinery.
He said: "That's still the goal. Okay, last year was bad. Bradl is fast and Crutchlow's definitely quick. He hasn't won a race yet, we did in our second year, so I'm not worried about chasing somebody else in that way.
"Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo are definitely the top riders. Everybody else I think is at a very close level."
Three of the four Ducati riders this year will be making their debut on the Italian bike, but Spies doesn't believe that Pramac team-mate Andrea Iannone, or Andrea Dovizioso in the factory team, will be his first target to beat.
"I'm just going to ride as hard as I can ride and if that puts me the first Ducati, the last Ducati, or winning a race, I have no clue," he said.
"I've never been the type that says as long as I beat my team-mate I am happy with that, because that's just job security when people do that.



Archive: Spies claims first MotoGP win at Assen in 2011


"The last two years I've had a pretty good team-mate in Jorge Lorenzo, who is the fastest person in the world, so I don't think about being the fastest on that brand. It's just getting the most I can out of it and doing the best I can."
Spies missed the last two races of last season after picking up a shoulder injury from a crash in Sepang and, after a winter of recovery, hopes to be close to full fitness ahead of the first official test of 2013 next month.
Speaking at the the 23rd annual Wrooom event, shared with the Ferrari Formula One team at the scenic ski resort of Madonna di Campiglio in Italy, Spies said: "The injury is healed, but the muscle, strength and resistance in my shoulder is very weak right now.
"I would say it's 60-70% now and by the time I get to Malaysia I hope it will be 80%."
The first of 2013´s pre-season tests starts in Sepang on 5 February, with the first race in Qatar on 7 April.

[sprtbkbabe]

Ben Spies: “I think the bike is better than what people have seen in the last two years.”


Isn't that Hayden's quote... every year. I KEED, I KEED

[spideyrdr]

It's a shame their (Ducati's test riders') test session at Jerez was basically rained out recently. Hopefully it's not a sign that '13 will be bad luck for them.

[longrider]

Americans did so well during that era because they all came from flat tracking and came with a whole new style of riding, being loose on the bike and letting them slide around the europeans caught on and that was that road racing is just so much bigger over there more parents start their kids road racing then here in america were just too into nascar.

I agree with the first part and that European kids get into roadracing much more than American kids. However I dont see Nascar as being the problem, it is a combination of over here if a kid wants to ride he rides motocross and we are so scared of liability most organizations require you to be 14 to 16 before you can even start. There really is no way for a kid to start roadracing at a real young age.