Spies Wraps Up Successful MotoGP/AMA Superbike Weekend; Texan improves five places in Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix

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Press Release Issued By Lawrence Media (July 20, 2008)

MONTEREY, Calif. (July 20, 2008) – Ben Spies wrapped up a hectic and successful weekend of racing Sunday at Mazda Laguna Seca during the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix. Spies rode the No. 11 Rizla Suzuki GSV-R to eighth in the Grand Prix, improving five spots from his qualifying position. He also took second in the AMA Superbike race and leaves Monterey with a 36 point lead in that championship.

Spies ran 13th on lap eight of the 33-lap U.S. Grand Prix when he went to work moving up the field. He passed Toni Elias and fellow Texan Colin Edwards on lap nine. Three laps later he got by Rizla Suzuki teammate Loris Capirossi to put himself into ninth.

“I didn’t get the best of starts,” Spies explained. “I got shuffled back a little bit early in the race and then got things sorted out and start getting by some guys. It felt good to start working my way up through the field. That’s what I hoped I’d be able to do.”

With just three laps to go in the race Spies moved ahead of Shinya Nakano and James Toseland to get as high as seventh. A last lap braking pass by Toni Elias put Spies in eighth, where he would finish, three-tenths of a second behind Elias and a little over a second ahead of Toseland.

“Toni rode a great race and made a good pass on me on the last lap,” Spies said. “I would have liked to have held on to seventh, but he made a really good move.

“Overall I’m happy with my result. After the issues we had earlier in the weekend it was good to make some solid progress in the race. These are the best riders in the world. Hopefully I showed I have the potential to run with these guys.”

Spies was happy to learn that he ran the sixth fastest lap of the MotoGP race, a one minute, 22.966-second time turned on lap 27. That lap time was bettered only by Casey Stoner, winner Valentino Rossi, Chris Vermeulen, Toni Elias and Nicky Hayden.

In the Superbike final Spies finished a distant second to Rockstar Makita Suzuki teammate Mat Mladin. The race was held directly after the MotoGP race. Several observers said Spies appeared to be a bit off his normal pace owing perhaps to fatigue from all the laps he turned on Sunday, but Spies downplayed that speculation.

“I wasn’t tired,” he said. “Mat simply rode better than me today. We still have a pretty solid lead in the championship. We head to Mid-Ohio in a couple of weeks and I’ll try to get re-focused and back to winning races.”

Spies is next slated to race at the Honda Super Cycle Weekend, presented by Dunlop Tires in Lexington, Ohio, on Aug. 1-3.

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