Note: Soup will count down the 10 biggest stories in MotoGP of 2011 in reverse order over the next 10 or so days.
American Ben Spies showed terrific promise in his rookie MotoGP season in 2010. He won a pole at Indianapolis and earned two podiums on a satellite Tech 3 Yamaha en route to a sixth-place finish and Rookie of the Year honors.
So when Spies was promoted to the Yamaha factory team alongside reigning MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo for 2011, many inside and outside the MotoGP paddock expected Elbowz to win early and often.
A disappointing start to the season, mated with the dominance of Honda, slowed those plans. But when the breakthrough came, it was a glorious ride.
Spies dominated the field at Assen on June 25 for his first GP win. If you'd seen him win in America on a Superstock or Superbike, Assen was a re-run. He qualified second and took the lead for good just two corners into the race after diving under teammate Lorenzo. Spies built a 2.5-second lead after the first lap when Marco Simoncelli crashed into Lorenzo, knocking both to the asphalt.
Then it was just a matter of controlling pace and emotion for Spies, who achieved both tasks masterfully. He beat Casey Stoner to the line by 7.697 seconds to record the first MotoGP victory by an American rider since Nicky Hayden won in July 2006 at Laguna Seca.
Spies' victory also was the only dry-weather win during the 800cc era (2007-11) by a rider other than Stoner, Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi - the "aliens."
