Spies: "Super happy - more to come"
New factory Yamaha man nails third fastest time on Day One testing
MOTOGP Rookie of the Year Ben Spies has said he is "super happy" after yesterday's first ride on the factory M1 Yamaha, during post-season testing at Valencia.
Spies, who finished sixth in the 2010 Championship, has been promoted to a full factory ride in 2011, taking the seat of Valentino Rossi, who moves to Ducati for next year's series.
Posting the third-fastest time of the day, behind team-mate Lorenzo and Repsol Honda newbie Casey Stoner, Spies clocked a best of 1:32.878, covering 42 laps in the process.
"For the first day of testing I'm super happy with the team, a lot of things are new including obviously riding the prototype bike," said Spies.
"There are a lot of subtle changes from last year so I spent some time getting used to it along with working with a new Japanese engineer who is very, very good. I had a couple of new mechanics who were learning the ropes as well so it was a lot of learning today. I'm really happy, I can feel the potential of the bike and I think there's quite a bit more to come."
