Seeping Matter

Ooh, that title has a nice sound to it.

Ben Spies Tipping It In. Image Source: www.superstreetbike.com

Yesterday in Portimão, the last stop on the 2009 World Superbike tour, Yamaha’s Ben Spies came from ten points behind to clinch the 2009 World Superbike title from the clutches of Ducati’s Noriyuki Haga.  I had to skip recording the afternoon NFL game just so I could get the World Superbike broadcasts right away.  I had to skip the Sunday evening sports get-together with the neighborhood buddies in order to watch the races instead.  And I must admit I cheered, jumped right out of my chair and clapped vigorously when Haga low-sided in Race 1.

You could say that it pleases me that he won.

In his rookie season, Spies took a record 11 poles, including a record seven in a row, and 14 wins.  I was at Miller Motorsports Park last May when he broke the record for consecutive pole positions.  It was dang awesome to be there, at the only American stop in the World Superbike tour, cheering on the only American in World Superbike.

It’s something we miss here in America.  Sure, there’s some American things that are fine, like college football, and some that are just flat-out lame, like NASCAR.  Regardless, we get so wrapped up in our own little world here that we miss out on the really great things going on in the rest of the world.  It’s too bad we are so lame like that.

I have bittersweet feelings about Ben moving on to MotoGP.  I think he could be a dominant force in World Superbike for many seasons to come if he would stay.  At the same time, MotoGP is the pinnacle of motorcycle road racing, and he definitely deserves this opportunity to take a shot at the very best the world has to offer.  Tech3 Yamaha is not exactly a factory MotoGP team, but it is probably the best satellite team in MotoGP.  Hopefully this is just the beginning.