Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki's Ben Spies and crew chief Tom Houseworth (Photo: Brian J Nelson) » More Photos

“I was pretty surprised,” Ben remarked. “We got to within a second of what John (Hopkins) was doing to get on the podium in the GP race the day before. We only had 30 laps on the bike, I hadn’t ridden Öhlins suspension in about six years, I’d never ridden on Bridgestone tires, obviously I’d never ridden one of those bikes, and I’d never been on that track before. There was a lot of learning going on and to get as close as we got in terms of lap times was great.

“It was just fun. I’ve wanted to ride one for a while and Kevin (Schwantz) and I got to turn some laps together.”

Asked what sort of response his performance elicited from the Rizla Suzuki crew, Spies said, “I think they were surprised in a good way. What I was told afterwards was the feedback I gave was spot-on with what John and Chris (Vermeulen) gave. It was good to look at the data and know that my riding style is very adaptable and very close to what needs to happen over there. It was definitely a good experience and I’m looking forward to having more of those.”

Looking ahead to some wild card entries and further testing opportunities next season, Ben said, “I’ve heard that Laguna and Indy are 100%, and after the Valencia test it sounds like there should be a couple more after that. Suzuki is being great and they’re trying 100% to get me on it more. I told them as much as they let me ride that thing, I’m on it. Just give me tires and gas.”

No matter where his future takes him, in three short seasons Spies has already firmly established himself as one of the all-time AMA Superbike greats. His career stats are ridiculous, with two titles and one runner-up ranking in his three attempts, a win percentage that’s approaching 33% and rising, and an insane Superbike career podium percentage in excess of 90%.

Still, Spies has trouble viewing himself as anything but the new kid on the block still looking to etch out a place for himself.

“I remember when I was eight years old at the track looking up to my idols. It doesn’t feel like I’ve been doing this long enough to have gained that exposure and have people feel that way about me. But I’m starting to understand that some do.

“To already be, I guess, considered by some people one of the best in AMA Superbike history is pretty shocking and extremely flattering. I don’t really look at all that stuff -- the records and numbers. My weekends are pretty much consumed with getting on the bike and riding it as hard as I can. I don’t have time to think about how many races I’ve won and how many times I’ve been on the podium. When people point that stuff out I’m surprised with the numbers but it’s good. But it’s something I try not to get caught up in. I’m always just trying to get the absolute most out of my ability, whether that means finishing fifth in a given AMA Superbike race or someday winning the world championship.”

This story originally appeared in Issue 103 of Motorcycle Racer. For more information about the magazine and subscription details, visit www.motorcycleracer.com