MotoGP Interview: Ben Spies at Mugello

Dave Contini caught up with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Ben Spies last weekend at Mugello (after FP1).  After finishing in seventh position in the race, riding here at Mugello for the very first time, the Texas Terror impressed everyone once again.

Now he’s in the top ten of the world championship with 20 points, so keep watching the #11 Monster Yamaha Tech3 bike in the upcoming events.

So, first of all you really impressed everybody once again having the 6th fastest lap on the FP1. How can you manage to go to a circuit like this and being fast from the very beginning?

Ben Spies: It’s not bad, we really need a good result. The track is new, very technical. It’s always the same, even though this track is a bit more difficult to get used to it. I like the circuit a lot, the elevation and the layout of the track is good fun. It’s a bit bumpy but I’m enjoying it.

What is the best part of the circuit for you?

Ben Spies: The back part that goes up the hill (Editor’s Note: arrabbiata one and two) is great fun, the second one is very bumpy but it’s nice. I mean the whole circuit is a great fun to ride. For sure that’s the hardest part of the track, at the beginning I had some problems in doing them but after a while I really enjoyed it.

What about the set up? Are you confident fn the one you used in the FP1?

Ben Spies: I think we are about the 80% of it, we just need to adjust a little bit but we are there.

Did you ask Colin about anything as well?

Ben Spies: Yeah, I asked him if there was any tricky section I needed to watch out for. Plus I followed him for the first two laps, so that helped me a lot. There are no dangerous parts on this track, it’s just a little more technical than the others.

What are your goals for Sunday, since you have the sixth place just after one session?

Ben Spies: We need to see where we are going to be after the qualifying practice, at the moment it’s good on paper and just a free practice so we need to see what we can do after Saturday’s sessions.

Mancation, that was a really great one!

Ben Spies: Yeah, we had some fun with it.

Living in Italy, how much are you enjoying it?

Ben Spies: I’m enjoying Italy a lot; there’s a lot of things to learn you know coming from America it’s a totally different culture. As always, there are some things that I like more here and some others that I like more from home, that’s normal. I met a lot of good people and now I know my way around in Como.

How do you feel right now about your life?

Ben Spies: You know there are always positives sides in things, I met a lot of good people in WSBK and the paddock there is very different from here. It’s a little bit more friendly in World Superbike but I would say that here is more serious and more professional but I wouldn’t say one is better then the other. I’m happy at the moment, I just want to get better and stay up front.

What do you think about the start of your season?

Ben Spies: The last couple of rounds were a bit rough for us (Editor’s note:Jerez and Le Mans), but that’s how racing is. Besides the bad results we had on Sundays, we were going pretty good. We need to get on with our progress and keep moving.

Who is impressing you right now?

Ben Spies: I think Jorge Lorenzo is impressing me the most, he’s always very calm in the race and waits for the race to come to him. He has put in some good races and I guess that in Qatar if he wasn’t hurt he would have been challanging for the win too. He’s riding very good right now and I think is good for the sport to to have a guy like him on the same bike as Valentino Rossi, that’s something very good for the fans.

What about your teammate Colin Edwards?

Ben Spies: Colin was very good last year and this year we are riding the same bike. The good thing is that we are not competing on a general level, since we are on a totally different part of our careers. He’s riding very well and I think we are pushing each other in some ways, so it can be a good year for him.

Last thing, do you wear your necklace while you ride?

Ben Spies: No, not all I never wear this when I ride…but I’ll get it back here when I’m done.