Ducati announces agreement with Ben Spies and Andrea Iannone for 2013 MotoGP World Championship Ducati announces that it has signed an agreement with American Ben Spies and Italian Andrea Iannone to compete in the 2013 MotoGP World Championship. Having already confirmed Nicky Hayden and announced Andrea Dovizioso for the Ducati Team, the Italian manufacturer now reaffirms its confidence in and commitment to the MotoGP World Championship, finalizing its lineup for next season with two riders who are fast and competitive, already protagonists in the MotoGP and Moto2 World Championships. At the same time, the partnership has been renewed between Ducati and Pramac Racing, which will continue to be entrusted with management of the satellite team. The two riders, who have a direct link with the company, will be supplied with official equipment. This agreement will enable additional important support in the development of the Desmosedici MotoGP project, offering a further opportunity in the process of improving the performance of the Italian bike. More, from a press release issued by Indianapolis Motor Speedway: AMERICAN STAR SPIES STAYING IN MotoGP IN 2013 WITH NEW DUCATI TEAM INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012 – American star Ben Spies will stay in MotoGP in 2013, racing for a new Ducati “junior” team at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP and all other events in the motorcycle World Championship. Spies, from Longview, Texas, will pair with Moto2 race winner Andrea Iannone of Italy in the new team, created to accelerate development of Ducati’s MotoGP factory race motorcycle. Spies and Iannone are expected to race next season on the same specification of GP13 bike as Ducati Team factory riders Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso. Pramac Racing, which runs one of two MotoGP teams this season using lower-spec Ducati satellite machinery, will manage the new team. Spies announced in July that he would leave the Yamaha Factory Racing team after this season. He was named MotoGP Rookie of the Year in 2010 with the Tech 3 Yamaha satellite team, and earned his first MotoGP victory and finished fifth in points in 2011 during his first season with the factory team. But Spies is 10th in MotoGP points, with a best finish of fourth, through 12 races this season after being plagued by a variety of freak mechanical problems. There will be at least two Americans on the MotoGP grid in 2013, with a high probability for a third. 2006 World Champion Hayden will enter his 11th MotoGP season, with Spies joining him in the Ducati family. Veteran Colin Edwards probably will stay in MotoGP in 2013 with NGM Mobile Forward Racing, for which he has competed on production-based Claiming Rules Team machinery this season. The date for the sixth Red Bull Indianapolis GP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be announced soon, as MotoGP organizer Dorna is expected to release a provisional 2013 schedule shortly. *** 2013 tickets: IMS is accepting ticket reorders and applications for the 2013 Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Visit www.imstix.com, call (800) 822-INDY or (317) 492-6700 or visit the IMS Ticket Office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday. Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are available. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information. Information on camping at IMS during the Red Bull Indianapolis GP is available at www.imstix.com. Hotel package information can be found at visitindy.com/redbull.