The Texan with his elbows in the air will be fun to watch this season too. I also hope Hayden can improve from his 9th place in qualifying.
from a longer article by Chris Martin | Posted April 08, 2010:
Last year I was one of the bolder preseason prognosticators, calling for Spies to win multiple World Superbike races and leave no doubt as to who was the most gifted rider in the series, but I was unwilling to predict a championship for the rookie, thinking it would take a while for the Texan to come to grips with his new environment. He proved me wrong, but not nearly to the degree that he proved most others wrong.
Spies is once again managing expectations, claiming that points are the immediate goal, not titles, wins, podiums, or pole positions. No doubt his personal goals are considerably higher than what he’ll let on, but he’s right to not hope for victories, at least not right away.
Considering the talent, the history, and the machinery issues that stand in his way, a single win from Spies this season might be considered a bigger achievement than all 14 he logged last year combined. In the same way, just one pole might grab more attention than the 11 of 14 Superpoles he took in ’09.
What would the makings of a marvelous season for Spies be in 2010? I’m going to say Rookie of the Year honors backed up by a multiple podiums — a strong enough performance to earn him a slot on the factory squad in 2011, which would pave the way for a serious title run in 2012 when the championship returns to literbike machinery.
This is the future I predict. Bookmark it.
But just for fun, let’s recall the entrance of Spies’ mentor, Kevin Schwantz, as a full-time GP regular. Rookie Schwantz, armed with an over-matched Pepsi Suzuki RGV500, shocked the world by defeating reigning world champion Wayne Gardner and his Rothmans NSR500 at Suzuka in the ’88 season opener. Just sayin’.