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WSBK: History In The Making: An Updated Look At Spies’ Rookie Season
Written by: Chris Martin   
07/01/2009
Monterey, CA
 
Yamaha Motor Italia's Ben Spies (Photo: Brian J Nelson) ยป More Photos

Following the opening two rounds of Ben Spies' World Superbike career, we pit his astonishingly quick start up against the complete rookie seasons of the series' legends and saw that his early accomplishments already compared favorably with that elite company.

Now nine rounds and 18 races into the 2009 season (with 5/10 remaining) we have an even better sense of just how remarkable the Texan's transition to world championship competition has been as he's continued at that staggering pace. The Yamaha Motor Italia superstar is assembling not only the most impressive debut in series' history, but one of the championship's best-ever individual seasons.

Prior to taking the world by storm, Spies already proved himself to be a statistical phenomenon during his brief but unprecedented run in the AMA Superbike Championship. In just four short years competing in AMA Superbike the Texan put together the type of numbers that fully justified his inclusion on the extremely short list of candidates with a legitimate claim as the greatest racer the storied series had ever produced.

Among those mind-boggling stats were his career
38% win percentage, 56% pole rate (73% over his last three seasons), 81% top twos, 92% podium finishes, and 75% championship mark.

In some very important ways, Spies is actually outperforming those numbers in World Superbike, despite the hype touting the '09 season as the deepest, most competitive the 22-year-old championship has ever seen.

Spies has now won 10 of 18 races (56%), taken eight of nine poles (89%), and been on the podium 12 times (67%).

And while he famously avoided drama during his AMA reign, that has certainly not been the case in World Superbike. If not for three separate mechanical issues (Monza, Kyalami, and Misano), being run off the track (twice) in Phillip Island, and suffering from a rare mistake of his own doing at Assen, Spies would likely have a few more victories and be in complete control of the championship standings.

As it stands, his misfortune sees him currently second in the points race, trailing rival Noriyuki Haga by 14 points, but considering his form and Haga's recent injuries, Spies is shaping up to be the favorite heading down the stretch.


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