Two-time and defending AMA Superbike Champion Ben Spies, 23, will race a factory Suzuki GSV-R at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix, July 18-20 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, September 12-14 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). “It was official from Suzuki,” already, Spies told Roadracingworld.com Thursday at Infineon Raceway, “but FIM just officially said that it was good now. “Every team gets a certain amount of wild cards each year and I knew that we were going to be doing the two [American rounds], but you have to get approved by FIM, or whatever. I’ve known for a few months now, but just as of yesterday, I guess, FIM said it’s definitely a done deal. “To be able to race the first two GP races I ever race and have it be in America is pretty awesome. Plus, it gives the American fans another person to cheer for with an AMA guy in the race. It should be good. I definitely want to do an European round, too, but we’ll start out with these two and see where it takes us.” Spies, who will get to test a GSV-R during an official pre-event test at IMS in July, did not want to say what kind of results he expected to get in the wild card races, but he said he felt a top-10 was “feasible,” especially at Laguna Seca. As for his 2009 plans, Spies said, “I know Suzuki is interested. I want to be with Suzuki. I think they’re working on a plan, from what I hear, but I don’t know. There’s nothing on paper, no figures or anything like that. I think they’re trying to organize something to get me into their [factory] team. I hope so.”