Ben Spies has publicly stated that he will leave the factory Yamaha MotoGP team when his contract expires at the end of the 2012 season. It’s known that Spies had a meeting with Yamaha during the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, July 13-15, where Spies’ performance suffered due to an illness on race day. On July 22, Spies posted on his Twitter feed: “U can say next year will be a bit diff I’d say. excited at all prospects stay tuned” Then, in an e-mail sent to and published by superbikeplanet.com on July 24, Spies wrote: “Yesterday I made a comment on Twitter to cause a stir. (Today) I’ll be more in saying that I have chosen to leave Yamaha after this season for a litany of reasons. I will explain more when I feel it is appropriate. I’m discussing my situation with my sponsors and they are behind me. There are a few people at Yamaha who I hate to leave. And they know who they are. I wish Yamaha the best. I won’t make any further comments until the official announcement comes out.” Spies won three AMA Pro Superbike Championships for Suzuki between 2006-2008, and then won the Superbike World Championship while racing as a rookie for Yamaha in 2009. He won a MotoGP race, the Dutch TT at Assen, in 2011. More details will be posted as they become available.
Ben Spies Announces That He Will Leave Factory Yamaha MotoGP Team At The End Of The Season
Ben Spies Announces That He Will Leave Factory Yamaha MotoGP Team At The End Of The Season
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