<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (projekZERO @ May 12 2008, 07:02 PM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Oh no, they will. I'm not saying Spies is the future of MotoGP, I'm not even saying he's better then Mladin. What I do know, that several of us have tried to tell you guys across the pond is Spies is ridiculously fast at Laguna Seca. As in he would have qualified about mid pack in MotoGP on his Superbike last year.
He got within what, 1.5 seconds at the valencia test last year? On a bike and track he had no knowledge of. Now he will have a we bit of bike knowledge plus enough practice time to come to grips and IMO the most track knowledge in the field, even more then Nicky.
If he can come to decent grips with the bike before the race like Roger Hayden did last year it won't result in a top 10 result like Roger got. It will be much higher. It wouldn't surprise me if he podiumed and smoked the other 2 Suzuki riders. Wouldn't it be sad if he gave Suzuki their only podium of the year, or even Suzuki's only dry race win? Do you think they wouldn't be rushing to sign him? But I'm not saying thats what will happen.
If that happens trust me, they'll make room for him. Lets just wait and see.
What we people accross the pond will remind you, is that in BSB 2002 'Hizzy' at Donington, on a very 'last years' customer Ducati 998, in a private team, smoked Rossi's outright lap record set a few weeks later at the British GP on his V5 RC1121V which was equivalent in cost to the entire GDP of a typical large African Nation. Track secrets at work my son - something of which Laguna is renowned. Also the Dunlops have always hooked up well there well. Add into the equation the
massive, massive, massive, disproportionate budget that the Yoshimura, Blimpie, Rockstar, Makita etc etc Suzuki team has to hand, (and allegedly tons more factory support than Batta's Alstare squad in World Supers), and ask yourself...is it really that remarkable? Remember, two years ago they turned up at Phillip Island testing, and Mladin caned the WSB boys, (admittedly, not on Pirellis like the rest). However, Bens lap time in the post season test at Valencia was I grant you astonishing.
I'd love to see Spies in Denning's garage, (minus his ever present fg Mother peering over his shoulder in every post race press conference) -but he might be better under the wing of Aspar (some serious money involved here) alongside Alvaro...and talking of 'ridiculously quick' by the way!