Published: July 04, 2008 12:11 am            

MotoGP riders know Indy is special

Texas rider Spies looking to make his mark

INDIANAPOLIS — Provided with the opportunity to compete in the two MotoGP events in America, Ben Spies is hoping that translates into a place on the world stage.

Spies, a native of Texas, has captured two consecutive AMA Superbike titles and is leading the points this year with seven wins in 11 races.

Earlier this week he was one of seven riders testing for the Red Bull Indianapolis GP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but Spies is the only one that will be competing on Sept. 14.

Spies will be a wild-card rider for team Suzuki at the Indianapolis MotoGP and the July 20 race at Laguna Seca. He hopes an impressive run in the U.S. will land him a factory team ride for the 2009 season.

The other six riders were factory test riders, who will not be in competition.

Spies hopes the two days of IMS testing will be an advantage when race day dawns, but is realistic enough to know that he will be competing against the world’s best riders.

Spies said some work has to be done at the 2.6 mile road across at IMS, improvements track officials indicate will be complete.”

“For the first time out its OK,” he said after turning eight laps on the track. “We need to get more laps, more grip.”

Spies said the IMS course is challenging and tight through the corners.

“It’s not as fast as I thought it would be — pretty slow,” he commented. “I think it will make for some good racing with some minor changes.”

Spies said he had never ridden around the famed IMS oval and realized all the history at the track.

“It’s cool to see GP coming to the famous Indianapolis circuit,” he said. “This is an American GP I get to be a part of.”

Spies said he hopes the Indianapolis race becomes a permanent fixture on the MotoGP schedule.

“It would be nice to another race in the states and close to home,” he said.

Erwan Nigon, a native of France, was testing a Honda prototype and said IMS was difficult to compare with other tracks on the schedule.

“It’s very large in the straights and the corners are small,” he said of the course design. “The first corner is very fast and after that all the corners slow.”

Nigon said dust on the track surface made it difficult to run in a good lap time.

“It will be difficult to pass and for acceleration,” he said.

Nigon said it was exciting to ride at IMS.

“It’s very special to be at Indianapolis,” he said.

Before IMS hosted the Indianapolis 500, the first event at the track in 1909 was a motorcycle race.

        

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