MotoGP – Interview Ben Spies: Lorenzo is the big favorite this year! – The interview of Ben Spies by Moto-Net.Com

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Ben Spies interview: Lorenzo is the big favorite this year !

MotoGP - Interview Ben Spies: Lorenzo is the big favorite this year! - The interview of Ben Spies by Moto-Net.Com

Ben Spies took a stroll in Paris on Saturday before presenting his HJC R-PHA 10 Replica helmet at Sasie Center. The opportunity for French bikers to ask the Texan pilot for an autograph by exchanging a few words ! Interview Site.

Ben Spies interview by Site

Site: First simple question: How are you ?
Ben Spies: It’s going very well, I’m happy! My start to the season is satisfactory. Well, I fell at Le Mans and I didn’t finish the race in Jerez, but for a rookie, I think it’s not bad.

MNC: last year, you were also a rookie in the World Superbike, you discovered the circuits and you did very hard !
B. S .: It is true. I only knew two tracks on the whole calendar, but this year it’s harder: I rode a Superbike for years but now I’m on a MotoGP with the best riders in the world … It’s still harder ! I only have three hours of testing per weekend to get used to the track before the race. Basically, my first hour is for learning the layout. This is not an insurmountable problem, but it takes less time to deal with other parameters.

MNC: you signed 11 Superpoles in WSBK in 2009 … do you think you can take pole in MotoGP ?
B. S .: Not this year, mainly because of the other pilots! I think I have the talent to go fast, but I have a couple things to sort out before I go as fast as them. I’m not making excuses, but I don’t think I will be able to get pole until next year.

MNC: you think the R1 and the M1 are very different. What about Pirelli and Bridgestone gums ?
B. S .: Ah, I can’t say that one is better than the other. It’s very difficult to judge, because the circuits are not necessarily the same, the bikes are completely different … But hey OK, since you insist, I would say that one of the main differences is the heating time: the Pirelli is ready from the first corner while the Bridgestone takes a little longer.

MNC: You have well integrated the operation of your new tires by starting very strong at Mugello !
B. S .: I was the first surprised when I found myself with Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Dovizioso and Stoner! The first two laps went well, then I made two small mistakes. But it was already good. I knew at the start of the race that I wasn’t in my place: after practice, I knew that I would be riding between 6th and 9th place. It was impossible to keep following the leaders.

MNC: It’s in those moments that we have to learn a lot, right? Which pilot is the most informative to follow ?
B. S .: Valentino is the greatest: he is good everywhere! Stoner has a lot of talent, he is very fast and gives 100% to the pilot. Lorenzo is the symbol of the new generation. It is excellent in entering and exiting bends, when cornering and when lifting the bike..

MNC: and Dani Pedrosa? He again achieved a rider alone !
B. S .: Dani is the best when it comes to going out on her own. Give him 2.5 seconds early and he’s pretty much unbeatable. It must be said that in Mugello, the Honda were doing well. Apart from those of Simoncelli and Aoyama, all were in front! But Pedrosa is very good at finding grip. Even on worn tires, he can find some. And then he is favored by his weight.

Roll on the 1000 cc !

MNC: precisely, with the return of the 1000 cc – which would undoubtedly be profitable to you given your rather large size – you hope to find motorcycles which rear up and slide … But won’t the electronics prevent everything? it ?
B. S .: Yes, that’s for sure. We will not see the same antics as in the days of the 990 or the 500. However, the races should be more fun, the bikes will move more and overtaking will be easier. We can plant a big braking, turn and put full throttle, rather than planning to overtake two turns in advance as is the case at the moment on the 800 cc.

MNC: Would you miss the World Superbike a bit? ?
B. S .: we must admit that in WSBK the atmosphere in the paddocks is more open, more friendly. In MotoGP, the riders are focused on their race and nothing else. But hey, as I said earlier, I get along very well with Colin, Casey, etc. Jorge even invited me to dinner one night like that! I found it nice of him.

MNC: You still follow the World Superbike ?
B. S .: I couldn’t see everything this year. I watched the Assen races on TV, with Rea’s double, and then I was present at Monza at Yamaha.

Max Biaggi to succeed him in WSBK

MNC: What is your opinion on this first half of the season? ?
B. S .: Biaggi will win! His Aprilia is the best bike on the grid !

MNC: What about Haslam with the Suzuki? You drove on Gex for a long time !
B. S .: Haslam is talented, I realized that last year, but he couldn’t make it happen in his Honda Stiggy team. I also knew the GSX-R could win and Leon proves it this year, it’s good.

MNC: What do you think of Toseland and Crutchlow’s performances ?
B. S .: I know the bike, they are doing their best and it should pay off. Cal has the speed, he proved it in qualifying ‘. He still has to refine a few things for his races. And James is doing his best, he’s been titled twice, he’s a great champion.

MNC: What is the difference between the HJC helmet you wear while racing and the one your fans find on the market? ?
B. S .: their R-PHA and mine are exactly the same. There is only the thickness of the foams and the tear-off system, that’s it. I remember a race in the rain in an AMA Superbike in 2008, with full mist on my screen … I saw almost nothing but I still won the race and we managed to solve the problem with HJC.

MNC: Besides this year you have not yet driven in the wet … You dread the rain on your M1 ?
B. S .: Not at all. I don’t particularly like the rain and like everyone else I prefer to ride in the dry, but I don’t hate it either. In any case, the climatic conditions are the same for everyone and you have to get used to the idea that you cannot change them! Running in the rain with my MotoGP doesn’t worry me more than that.

Number 1, always

MNC: The new design of your helmet is signed by Aldo Drudi. Why him ?
B. S .: It is a reference! Shcwantz, Doohan, Rossi and many other pilots have called on his services. We never met, but he did the special decoration on my helmet last year for the Miller event. The decoration of my MotoGP helmet is also very close to this copy which I really liked.

MNC: One last question: why did you choose n ° 11 this year? ?
B. S .: It fell like that. I rode with a lot of different numbers: the 16, the 19, the 11 … and the 1 of course! In fact, their common point is to have a "1"…

Quite a symbol for this pilot who was "Number One" of AMA Superbike three times in a row, then titled in the wake, in his first season, in the World Superbike last year … Ben does not intend to stop in such a good way! To be continued: stay connected !

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