Motourage

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd is delighted to announce that current Yamaha Tech 3 rider Ben Spies will move to the Factory Team for the 2011 MotoGP season.

Lin Jarvis, Ben Spies and Herve Poncharal at Indy

The 26-year-old American, who won the World Superbike Championship with Yamaha in 2009, is enjoying an impressive first season in MotoGP. He is currently the leading rookie and the top satellite rider, lying seventh in the championship.

“We’re delighted that Ben will join the Factory Team for next season,” said Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing. “Ben has shown great promise in his first ten MotoGP races. He has learnt rapidly and recorded strong results, including a well-deserved podium finish at Silverstone – impressive for someone in their first full season.

“We believe that Ben will be a future title contender and that he will be a good fit with our team. His mission next year will be to continue learning, consistently challenge for podium places and try to win some races. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Herve Poncharal and the Tech 3 Team for taking care of Ben this season and for giving him such good training for the years ahead. I hope that he will repay them by getting some more podium results in the second half of this season and helping them to secure top satellite team status at the end of this year.”

Spies added “My first year in MotoGP has been a great learning curve and for that I have to thank Herve Poncharal, all the team at Tech 3 and especially my American mechanics who have stuck by me throughout this great journey so far. Having previously been to only four of the ten tracks to date, I have to be pleased with where I am and with having achieved my first podium so soon. I’m especially pleased that Yamaha have recognized the potential in me and given me the opportunity to step up to the Factory Team so early in my GP career. I believe that by working closely with the Yamaha staff and my mechanics we will be able to help develop the M1 and make the next step of challenging for regular podiums, followed by future championships.”

FTR Moto will field a record five riders on its M210 machines in next week’s Indianapolis, USA round of the Moto2 World Championship as American Jason DiSalvo has been awarded a wild card entry and will race the FTR machine owned by the Canadian FOGI Racing Team operation.

DiSalvo, 26, will join the FTR regulars of the FIMMCO Speed Up Team’s Andrea Iannone and Gabor Talmacsi, Karel Abraham on the Cardion AB Motoracing Team M210 and Spain’s Alex Debon and his Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team FTR machine.

Jason DiSalvo quit the Parkingo Triumph World Supersport team earlier this year citing lack of motorcycle performance

Former American Superbike and World Supersport rider DiSalvo becomes the ninth rider this year to race one of the FTR M210 machines and is the second World Championship wild card rider with an FTR after Kev Coghlan rode the same FOGI Racing M210 at Silverstone, GB two months ago.

The DiSalvo Indianapolis entry will be run by the GPtech Team of former American racer Geoff Maloney. AMA Pro Racing technical director Al Ludington is on vacation from his duties to serve as DiSalvo’s crew chief.

“It’s great that we’ve got a wild card rider in his home Grand Prix again and Jason has tremendous experience so could provide a formidable challenge,” said FTR’s Steve Bones. “Geoff Maloney has called on a lot of existing FTR experience and personnel including the machine from Angus Borland of FOGI and the technicians from the Monlau Competicion Team who contest the CEV Spanish Championship. The guys have been testing in America this week and everything seems to be on schedule for Jason and the M210 to be competitive come next weekend.”

Official results from the 2009 Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix – Sunday, August 30, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

MotoGP

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