Misano MotoGP: Ben Spies relieved with top five

Ben Spies was relieved to make a welcome return to the top five in the 2012 MotoGP campaign after a tough race in Misano yesterday.

The Texan saw the chequered flag for the first time since the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello in early July with a fifth place that saw him finish just 1.5s behind Alvaro Bautista in third.

Spies battled front-end grip issues throughout the 27-lap encounter to claim only his fourth top five finish of a disappointing second season in Yamaha’s official factory squad.

Spies, who has signed for the Pramac Ducati squad in 2013, told MCN: “I struggled a bit with front tyre grip and once I realised that my first goal was just to finish the race. 

“Everything was good with the bike and I just wanted to get a result. I saw Cal (Crutchlow) having issues with the front tyre and he crashed, so once I got comfortable and made it through more of the race than I have for a long time I started pushing but it was a little too late.

“The bike definitely had podium potential but I’m not going to lie and the first thing for me was to finish the race. It wasn’t a great result but with the luck I’ve had and the way things have gone, I showed I had some good speed at the end. 

“I’ve got no regrets. I wanted to come back to garage in one piece and start building up from what has happened recently.”

Spies was obviously more cautious with the front grip available than others after he had crashed at Turn One in qualifying and then saw British rider Crutchlow fall in identical circumstances on lap five of the race.

He added: “When the front tyre is new it has a lot of grip but when it goes, it goes and that is sort of what happened in qualifying with my crash. And I think that’s what happened to Cal in the race. 

“The feeling wasn’t correct and he was pushing pretty hard and lost the front. I was having some issues at that point and when Cal lost the front I thought some others might have the same feeling, so I wanted to stay calm and manage the race.

“Towards the end of the race when you understand the feeling of the tyre I knew I could push without crashing and in the last few laps I could feel the front and I caught up to the group and then got to (Andrea) Dovizioso.

“But by then I had used too much of the rear tyre. It almost worked out. I had the pace to get to the podium but the smartest thing to do was just to get some confidence back with a good result.”

For nine pages of coverage from the Misano MotoGP race, see the September 19 issue of Motor Cycle News.