As Yamaha’s first ever World Superbike Champion Ben Spies made an indelible impression in his first year in Europe, not only proving his ability and level of dedication but also an uncanny talent for mastering unseen tracks and demonstrating the potency of the YZF-R1. With a historic maiden WSB attempt Spies decided to try his hand at becoming just the second American MotoGP champion this century and joins Yamaha Monster Energy Tech 3 for his full debut campaign.

Spies emerged to prominence in his native USA partly thanks to his spectacular riding style but also his results which saw a third AMA Superbike Championship claimed in 2008, being only the fourth individual in the history of the series to win the title three consecutive times.

The young Texan preceded his hat trick of AMA Championship wins with a 2nd place in the standings in 2005, winning the AMA Superbike race at California Speedway and adding no less than 13 podium finishes to his tally for the year. Prior to this he raced for three years in the AMA Supersport Championship, with some notable successes, including winning the Infineon Speedway round of the 2004 championship along with a further two podiums that year.

Ben is no stranger to MotoGP. He replaced the injured Loris Capirossi at the 2008 British GP and secured a 14th place finish. He went on to sample three more wild-card rides, scoring a brilliant eighth place finish at Laguna Seca and an even more impressive 6th at Indianapolis. His final outing before joining his current crew (and first with the M1) took place in Sterilgarda colours when he carved through the pack at the 2009 season-closer at Valencia for 7th spot.

When he’s not racing Ben is likely to be found a long way from the hustle and noise of the race track, chilling out with some fishing time and getting some peace and quiet! He has a residence near Lake Como in Italy.