Ben Spies, a three-time, consecutive AMA champion from 2006-2008, joins Yamaha's World Superbike team this year to head their campaign with their newly revamped YZF-R1.
There are 14 rounds in a WSBK season, 14 tracks around the world, 2 races per weekend for a total of 28 races. With the exception of the USA round in Utah, Spies has never seen any of the tracks, save for another two that he had tested in during the pre-season.
His welcoming party was at Race 1 of the first round in Phillip Island, AU, where despite taking pole position at the grid, was punted off the track by Max Biaggi only at the second turn, managing to get back on the track, but at the very back of the 25+ pack. He rallied to finish 16th by the end of the race, but no points scored. Race 2 just a few hours after, he won his very first WSBK race, at one of the tracks he's never been in.
Round 2 of the season came at Losail, Qatar, where once again, Spies had the pole position. This is another track he's never been in. Spies won both races for his very first double-victory weekend in WSBK.
Throughout the season, Spies has broken and set the record for the most pole positions in a year - 14 pole positions.
Save for crashing out of one race in Valencia and Assen, or being marred with mechanical and fuel problems (at the last turn of the last lap in Monza, leading the race!), Spies only finished a race without scoring a point once - at the first race of the season. Out of 28 races, he won 14 of them. He had 3 double-race victories throughout.
Noriyuki Haga, the man who led the title points championship throughout the season, only had 8 wins.
He won the title by just 6 points over Noriyuki Haga.
2009 was Spies' rookie year in WSBK.
Rookie year, on a revamped machine from a manufacturer who's never had a rider win a WSBK title, on tracks he's never raced in or seen, against seasoned riders, and still winning the World Title along with the record of most pole positions set in a season ever.
I love WSBK and its grid, but what does this all mean in short?
Ben Spies just shat on the rest of the world.
