Ben Spies Targets First MotoGP Win in 2011

With just one goal in mind for 2011, Ben Spies is eying his first MotoGP race victory next season with the factory Yamaha team. The 2010 Rookie of the Year, who was recently interviewed by Cycle News at the Long Beach Motorcycle Show, said that his greatest achievement this year was pole in front of his home fans at Indianapolis.

Also, he pointed to teammate Jorge Lorenzo when asked who represents the biggest threat for the upcoming season, but also mentioned Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi as equally worthy opponents.

"The most dangerous guy for next year is definitely Jorge,” Spies said. “He's on a great bike as we know. He's got a lot of good things about him as a rider. When he had to step up this year, he stepped up. When he had to back off, he knew when to back off."

“I think him, Casey [Stoner] will be fast and Valentino [Rossi] has a lot of work to do with the Ducati, but he's one guy I'm not putting money against. There's 16 or 17 guys who are fast out there, but I would say Jorge for sure. He's the one with the bullseye on his back."

As for the MotoGP switch from 800 to 1000cc engines in 2012, Spies is excited with the idea as he is more than familiar with this capacity from the Superbike competition.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said to the aforementioned publication. "The way I ride, the way I like the bikes to work, I like bigger ccs and it's a different riding style for sure. I think it's good for the series, good for the fans."

“I think I will benefit from it more than some riders, but then there are some riders who will hit the ground running. Some of the manufacturers might start out ahead and I'm hoping Yamaha is working on [the 1000cc] right now. I look forward to it... from the fans [point of view] to riding it, to everything."