After winning his third consecutive AMA Superbike Championship and three successful MotoGP races as a wild card in 2008, Ben Spies was apparently left with no team willing to fulfill his World Championship aspirations. Then just days after claiming his third AMA Superbike crown Spies was named the newest member of the factory Yamaha World Superbike team. Many, including Spies, wondered if he had made the right move, leaving his team, series and home in America for uncharted territory, but during his first test on Yamaha machinery Spies proved beyond any doubt that he was the real deal and absolutely capable of continuing his success on the world stage. Roadracingworld.com got a chance to catch up with Spies November 14, during Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.’s annual race team introduction/media day at their corporate headquarters in Cypress, California. Roadracingworld.com: We see you got to do some surprise laps on the 2009 YZF-R1 on the first day [November 3] of the post-race test in Portugal, is that right? Ben Spies: I just did a couple of laps on it. I rolled in there about noon wanting to hang out with (Michael) Schumacher a little bit, and then they were like, ‘We’ve got 30 minutes. You can go out on the bike and kind of give it a shakedown.’ That alone, having those few laps on the bike saved me two hours of messing around with mapping and stuff the next day. It definitely helped because the next morning was wet and half the day was damp, so we didn’t get a lot of valuable time. So having a few laps on the computer allowed the team to diagnose what was going on and play with some stuff and get ahead of the game before the test really started. Roadracingworld.com: What did you think of the track there in Portugal? Spies: It was great. It’s one of the funnest tracks I’ve ever ridden. It’s like Barber, for me, but bigger. Barber is an awesome track on a 600, but on a big bike it’s a bit tight. And this place was really good. I was happy with it. Pretty tricky to learn but very fun. A lot of elevation [changes]. Just one of the funnest tracks I’ve ever been to. Roadracingworld.com: What was your first impression of the Yamaha Motor Italia team? Spies: The team is great. They’re basically all Italian guys, and they’re all really good. I think it’s the best run team I’ve ever been in. It’s just different from what I’m used to. Everybody was having a lot of fun, and it was a real friendly environment and just made it a blast for me at the track. I definitely enjoyed riding a bike again, for sure. Roadracingworld.com: Did the crew guys welcome you? Did they know who you were and what you had done? Spies: Yeah, they were happy. I think it was a big deal for me to go over there because they hadn’t seen me ride on tracks I really don’t know. A lot of them were worried a little bit, but after the test I think everybody ended up happy. I was happy with the bike. I think the team was fairly happy with me. And we were all happy with how the ’09 bike is going to be. I’m just looking forward to a really good year, and the team’s doing everything they can to make me feel at home and make the bike good. Roadracingworld.com: So the first full day of the test, Tuesday [November 4], how did you spend that day? Did you spend a lot of time on the ’08 bike? Spies: About half and half, really. They didn’t want me to get too used to the ’08 bike, so I didn’t ride it a whole lot. But I just tried to get used to the [Pirelli] tires and the [Öhlins] suspension. I got going OK on the ’08 bike and was then on the ’09 bike from there on out. We just started tweaking on some things, some suspension stuff, things like that. Really, between the ’08 and the ’09 bike, we didn’t change any geometry stuff, just some forks settings, some fork springs and got it dialed in to where I was pretty happy with it and that was pretty much it. We were working through the little teething problems of a new bike and all that kind of stuff. Roadracingworld.com: The Yamaha didn’t get very good results here in America last season. What are your thoughts on the ’08 YZF-R1? Spies: I thought it was a great bike. It was very impressive, especially the front end of the bike. It didn’t take a whole lot of effort to ride the thing in the corners. It felt really good. I had a blast on it. And it was really fast, too. It’s obviously faster than our [AMA] stuff just because they have different rules. But it was a really fast bike, and it worked really good. I was really impressed with it. Roadracingworld.com: The guys racing the Yamaha Superbike here last year complained a lot about rear grip, going into corners and driving out. How was the rear grip? Spies: I know their bikes were pretty much identical to the World bikes. I don’t know if it’s a difference with the tires or what it is, but whatever the combination is with the World Superbike it was fine with me. I didn’t have any problems with it. Roadracingworld.com: I think I read a quote from you saying, ‘I don’t know why that bike didn’t win here in AMA?’ Spies: Well, yeah. If you gave me Haga’s bike, that bike would have probably won the [2008 AMA] Superbike Championship. It was just as good as what I’ve ridden, and that’s with not even tuning on it. It’s a great bike. Roadracingworld.com: Your lap time on the first full day was really quick, quicker than Troy Bayliss went en route to winning the first race of the weekend. What did you think of your lap time on the first day? Spies: You know, I was happy with it. Like I said, different team, different tire company, different suspension company, different brand of bike, new track — everything was different for me, but I was happy with it. Times are irrelevant until it comes race time, anyway. I was happy that we got going. And then the ’09 bike, to end up where we did in the stage of development I know where it is I was happy. [Spies went faster on the brand new 2009 YZF-R1 than he did on the fully-developed 2008 YZF-R1…Ed.] If we had been 1.5 seconds off the fastest time I’d have been ecstatic, because I know where the bike sits. To end up where we did, I’m wanting to start the season now. But I’m also glad we have a couple more tests to fine tune it and get it better and better. I think it’s going to be the bike to beat. I think if that bike’s not winning Championships you can’t be blaming the bike. The new configuration of the motor is just awesome. I’ve never ridden something that has such a smooth powerband. Roadracingworld.com: What was the team’s reaction after that first day? Did their smiles get a little bit wider? Spies: I think they were a little bit worried from all of the unknowns and maybe I wouldn’t do the job. After the first day and the first test I kind of brushed by the top guys and said, ‘Y’all can stop sweating now. It’s going to be OK.’ I don’t know how well we’re going to do, but I know we’re going to be competitive and that’s all that matters. Roadracingworld.com: On the second day, did you spend your time running through normal testing stuff on the ’09 bike? Spies: Yeah, a couple of times they asked if I wanted to go out on the ’08, and I said, ‘Nah, if I go out on that I’m going to get frisky and we’re going to get going.’ We just stayed on the ’09, because I knew it was definitely a bit down in some areas that we needed to work on. It’s just early in development. The motor was very standard. I just wanted to try some stuff and see how it reacted to some different things, really just suspension and tires. I wanted to get a feel for the Pirellis. I think we got a lot of stuff accomplished for just the first two days on the bike. Roadracingworld.com: What did you think of the Pirellis? Spies: Everything was great. I really had no complaints. I was actually pretty shocked at the amount of grip and the performance of the tires. You hear rumors and all, but that thing”¦I’m not saying I won’t [crash], because I’m sure I’ll throw a couple down the road, but I didn’t have one single moment that got me excited on the bike. I got down to some fast laps, but I never got ahead of myself or any of that stuff. It was good. Roadracingworld.com: I read somewhere that on the first day you said you had to answer a question to yourself. What was that question? Spies: Did I just win three Championships because I was on a Suzuki? And the same thing goes for Mat [Mladin]. We have our days when we don’t get along too good, but the fact of the matter is yes, Suzuki has a great bike. They were good to me when I was with them. I’ve been with them forever, but that’s not the reason. I think that Yamaha could win races and Championships. I thought I knew that wasn’t the case, but there was a couple of thoughts in the back of my mind like, ‘What if I get on this Yamaha and suck or I can’t get up front?’ After my third lap I was like, ‘I’m good.’ There’s going to be a learning curve involved, but we’re going to be fine. I think it answered some questions for me and a few other people, too. Roadracingworld.com: So what is the situation with your long-time Crew Chief Tom Houseworth? Will he be with you in 2009? Spies: Tom’s gonna be there with me next year. We got everything all organized, and I’m happy with that because he’s been a great asset to me. I think we both learn from each other and help each other out on our weaknesses and the racing life, in general. He tells me when I need to work on stuff. I tell him when he needs to work on stuff. We’re always working together to get the end result — to win races and titles. We’ve won five titles working together and broke some records in Superbike, and it’s not like we did it in a stale class. There were a lot of fast guys in there. And I know he knows how to run a tight ship. I’ve never had a DNF ever on a Superbike. In four seasons I finished every race. That says a lot, not just for me but for the bike. How many other guys do you see do that? We had one close call, the closest call was at Sears Point [Infineon Raceway] and luckily I had a 10-second lead. We had something go wrong with the electrical system. Two more laps and we would’ve been done. That wasn’t the team’s fault. There was a part that had a problem. Big thanks to my crew: Greg “Woody” Wood, James Hashimoto, Wade Hafinstien, Steve Meyer. Everybody, they work hard. It’s hard leaving those guys behind, but they understand. They know what I need to do. I wish I could take them all with me, but I can’t. I can take Tom, and at the end of the day he is the most important to me, just because he understands me and all that stuff. I’m looking forward to a good season and a big learning year. Everything’s new to me, but I think it’s going to be fun. Roadracingworld.com: Josh Hayes finally got his factory Superbike ride, but he said he’s going to miss his opportunity to race against you. Now you are getting your ride in World Superbike, but you are going to miss your shot to race Troy Bayliss. Spies: For me, it’s hard. I want to race against Bayliss. Bayliss is the best World Superbike racer in the world. I’m a big fan of his. But for me, my first year, it’s kind of good he’s not there because it would be kind of an unfair advantage. But I wish somehow we could race each other on the same equipment where we both know the tracks because I would like to see. I think I can race him, but I don’t know. But that’s just how it is. I hope Bayliss comes back in 2010, but I’m stoked to be riding against [Noriyuki] Haga. It’s kind of cool taking his place. And he’s gonna be on a good bike next year. Not just in World Superbike but in racing, in general, he’s been one of my favorite riders of all time because he’s Nitro Nori. He’s always there. He’s always giving it everything. He’s clean, but he’s a hard racer. I’m used to racing like that. That’s how Mat was. Mat was pretty clean but raced hard. That’s how it’s going to be with Nori, and hopefully I’ll be able to run with him. It’s just going to be a good year. All the British Superbike guys are coming over, Shakey Byrne is coming over. There are two new manufacturers coming into the series. MotoGP, they’ve got Stoner and Rossi, which those two are the fastest guys in the world, but on TV World Superbike is the best racing to watch. You got Rossi, Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa they battle for a little bit and then they take off. Then me and Mat it would be either me or Mat, and it would never be a really hard battle. It was always we would battle for a little bit and one of us would inch away and win. World Superbike they race the whole race and it’s an awesome race to watch. It’s the best motorcycle racing there is, motocross, Supercross, anything. On two wheels, it’s the best thing to watch, by far, and that’s why I’m happy to be a part of it next year. Editorial Note: Spies will race in World Superbike running #19; he can’t use the #11 he raced with before earning his AMA #1 plates, because that number belongs to Troy Corser. Spies picked the #19 used by his former 125cc GP teammate Ryan Smith, who died in a crash at Texas World Speedway in 1999, “Because I’m going to need all the help I can get.”