Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Update
At a wet Malaysian Grand Prix two rounds ago, Yamaha Factory Racing’s Ben Spies tore a shoulder ligament in a crash.
The Texan returned to America, but would not compete for the remaining two MotoGP rounds at Phillip Island and Valencia. Due to time constraints, Yamaha didn’t field a replacement rider for Spies at Phillip Island, the round where Spies’ teammate Jorge Lorenzo clinched the 2012 MotoGP title.
But this week, Yamaha reported that Japanese test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga will substitute for the injured Spies at the season finale in Valencia.
Yamaha says Nakasuga-san has already proven to be a trustworthy rider to handle the Factory YZR-M1, taking it to an impressive sixth place finish whilst substituting for injured Factory rider Jorge Lorenzo at last year’s Valencia Grand Prix. He was back again this year as wild-card for the Grand Prix of Japan with the Yamaha YSP Racing Team, again impressing with a ninth place finish.
As for Spies, he continues to recover from surgery in USA. In 2013, Spies joins the Pramac Racing Ducati team as Valentino Rossi joins Lorenzo on the factory Yamaha squad.
