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Rizla Suzuki wild card rider Ben Spies (Photo: Suzuki Racing) ยป More Photos
Since late last season Ben Spies has had this particular weekend circled on his calendar, expecting to make his long-awaited MotoGP debut with the Rizla Suzuki team at Laguna Seca, one of his best circuits.
However, an injury to team regular Loris Capirossi opened the door a bit earlier and the Texan was invited to compete at Donington Park. Despite the massive challenge ahead of him -- tackling an unfamiliar circuit on a bike he had only tested briefly (in an earlier form) a half a year earlier, the two-time AMA Superbike champ jumped at the chance knowing that even a difficult weekend in England should help prepare him for his wild card opportunities at Laguna Seca and Indianapolis.
In fact, the weekend did prove to be quite difficult, and changing weather -- while allowing him to impress the paddock with an eighth-place qualifying effort in the rain on Saturday -- didn't
Spies went backwards quickly in the contest but flashed a glimpse of his vast skills late in the race, closing quickly on several riders in front of him and circulating fast enough to finish in the top ten had be shown that pace earlier.
Spies was left less than satisfied with finishing 14th in his debut, providing him with a bit of extra motivation to prove he's deserving of all the hype. Helping out is the fact that he got in two long days of testing on the 800cc GSV-R v-four in Indianapolis recently, upping his comfort level with the Grand Prix machinery considerably.
On Thursday, Spies took a seat alongside legendary world champions Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Nicky Hayden, and Colin Edwards for Dorna's pre-event press conference.
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