In 2002, if you wanted the 4-1-1 on Ben Spies, you'd find him on an Attack Suzuki. image by brian nelson

"It's going to be tough. It's going to be the hardest thing I've ever done."

So said American Ben Spies this morning about his new career as a MotoGP rider.

Spies will make his first entry in MotoGP on a Yamaha this weekend at Valencia where he will ride a third Tech Three Yamaha M1, joining American Colin Edwards II and James Toseland. Spies dominated the WSBK series in 2009, culminating with the championship just over a week ago but he knows that MotoGP won't be the near pushover WSBK was for him.

"Basically (in recent history) every World Superbike rider has failed in MotoGP," Spies says, acknowledging Troy Bayliss' legendary win in 2006 as a high point. "We can either be like all the other ones or we can succeed. I still say "succeeding" for me in MotoGP would be a top ten finish right now, or running at the front, not even winning. People think I am full of it when I say that, but I've raced against those guys. I know how fast they are and I know that they have had a lot of time to learn to ride those bikes the way they need to be ridden."

Spies could have easily stayed in WSBK for 2010 and defended his title. He loves the championship and the people who inhabit the series but realizes that his destiny is elsewhere.

"I'm at the age where I need to go to MotoGP," Spies explains. "I need to try MotoGP. I won WSBK, and I know how I stack up there. In WSBK, the goal was to win and in MotoGP the goal—and I'm not even sure I have a goal right now—is top ten."

Spies has already said that dominating a championship which is not viewed as one inhabited by the best riders in the world is not what he's looking for.

"It's going to be another big change in goals and trying to adapt," Spies commented.