Yamaha MotoGP boss plays down Ben Spies swoop

Senior Yamaha race boss Lin Jarvis has insisted that the Japanese factory has no deal already in place to bring triple American superbike champion Ben Spies to MotoGP in 2010.

Spies has made it clear that he wants to be in MotoGP in 2010 after moving to Yamaha’s factory World Superbike squad for next season.

Yamaha has big interest in the former Suzuki rider, and should he impress in next year’s WSB series, speculation is mounting that he will move to the Tech 3 Yamaha squad.

But Jarvis has told MCN that there is no pre-contractual agreement in place with Spies, who raced in three MotoGP races for Suzuki in 2008, claiming a best of sixth in Indianapolis.

“There is no deal done”, Jarvis told MCN. “Coming into our World Superbike team will put him closer on the radar because we will watch him closely, understand him and see his potential.

“It is no secret that his intention is to come to MotoGP and he sees this as the next step in his career to achieving his goal. We are fully aware of this and I know his target. But there is no clause or no guarantee, though we will be monitoring his progress closely.”

Spies impressed recently on his R1 debut at the Portimao circuit in Portugal.