Ben Spies retires from racing!!!

[Dallara]

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Well, not that it's really much of a surprise, but Ben Spies has decided to throw in the towel...

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2013/spies+announces+his+retirement

http://motomatters.com/news/2013/10/26/ben_spies_retires_from_racing.html

http://superbikeplanet.com/2013/Oct/131026benspiesretire.htm

May not make me very popular around here, but something happened to Ben back in his last year (and I'm not talking about his Sepang crash & injury) with Yamaha and he's never been the same since. Seemed to lose that fierce determination he had in his Superbike days. Still, hate to see one less American in MotoGP.

Dallara




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[AVGeek]

Man, I was hoping he would come back better than ever...After his first year in MotoGP, I certainly thought he had the best chance of being the next American world champion.

 

[barryd]

Hate to see it but been expecting it.

 

[tomatocity]

Wishing Ben the best for his future.

 

[okiegtrider]

The handwriting has been on the wall for quite some time. Knew it was inevitable, but still wished for a different outcome. Wish all the best to Ben for the future.

 

[snakebitten]

In MotoGp, as well as many other sanctioning bodies, it seems to be really difficult to truly compete for the top spot.

Or put another way, it always seams one or two teams have the bike for that season. So regardless of how talented the rider is, if he can't end up on one of the few seats that have the current advantage, that rider will be an also ran.

I'm NOT saying the rider(s) that are currently dominating aren't fantastic. But I always wonder where a specific rider would finish if they were all on equal machinery.

Add to that, MotoGP must be a very demanding lifestyle. It's burned out a few great riders before their time. Seems the "business" end saps the fun out of it for some.

I do respect that it is a constant challenge to write the rule book in a way to generate parity amongst the hardware. But seems some kind of racing is much better at it than others. I personally enjoy racing. But I really like it when there is less spread between the fastest and slowest teams.

 

[dcstrom]

His luck last year (on the factory Yamaha) was unbelievably bad, to the point that it almost looked like sabotage... broken swingarm at Laguna? That was on top of a heavy crash in qualifying. In the end it seemed like it was a matter of getting off the unlucky Yamaha at all costs, even if it meant getting on a crappy second-string Ducati. I thought he was good enough to do enough with it that he could get back on a factory bike within a year or two. Bad luck followed him though, and when he was chucked down the road at the first corner after leaving the pits at Indy this year (damaging the OTHER shoulder) because nobody told him the traction control was not engaged when the bike was in first gear (what???), I think that was just about the last straw.

I have to wonder if the bad luck followed him because his crew did - anybody have any info on that? ;-)

Trevor

 

[Combo]

Ben Is a great rider and I wished things would have worked out for him in GP. It was fun to watch him ride and win the races he did over the years.

When I saw this in 2010 I had high hopes for his GP run.
One on One - Eddie Lawson & Ben Spies - Part One

Best of luck to him in what ever venture he takes on now.

 

[20valves]

Two serious shoulder injuries did it. Even if you have the mental determination and drive, the physical compromise of even one bad shoulder will end a top level racer's career. Good luck Ben, you've got a fine racing resume, too bad it's over.

Ben's main problem was that he didn't have had the required smokin' hot MotoGP class girlfriend hangin' around, only his mom. ???

Update: Anyone see the reaction from his former AMA Superbike team mate, the one and only Mat "the douche bag" Mladin? Mat had two words: "F%#king pussy."

 

[Dallara]

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Well, it seems Mat Mladin has an opinion about Ben Spies recent retirement announcement... ::025::

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2013/Oct/1310281166.htm

Some things never change - like Mat Mladin's economy with words!

Dallara



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[dcstrom]

Matt has a reputation for not mincing his words. And he may have a point... but none of us, and probably not Matt either, knows exactly how serious Ben's shoulder injuries are. Matt's "F*#king pussy" comment could be just a succinct way of saying Ben's problem is mental rather than physical. He's hurt himself once too often, had some bad luck, has made enough money, doesn't have the will to hang it all out there any more, time to quit. F*#king pussy...

On the other hand, I've always thought Matt was a F*#king pussy for not moving to MotoGP when he had the chance. He was having a easy time cleaning up in AMA (until Ben came along) and didn't need to be in a competition where he might get beaten. He'd raced a 500GP on Cagiva when he was 18, didn't have a good experience (crap bike, too young), but he could have gone back later on a Suzuki, but turned it down. Pussy!

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Well, it seems Mat Mladin has an opinion about Ben Spies recent retirement announcement... ::025::

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2013/Oct/1310281166.htm

Some things never change - like Mat Mladin's economy with words!

Dallara



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