Spies Reclaims Title Lead With Wet Weather Brilliance

Defending AMA Superbike champion Ben Spies stepped up to claim a crucial, impressive victory on Sunday at Road America to reclaim the ?07 title lead. Despite being faced with tricky track conditions in a persistent rain, the 22-year-old from Longview, Texas showed the depth of his talent by pulling free from the field early and building a mammoth advantage as many of his rivals struggled just to remain on two wheels during the 16-lap affair.

While most figured that a wet race would actually provide an opportunity for someone other than Spies or his Yoshimura Suzuki teammate, Mat Mladin, with a chance to win, no one proved capable of taking advantage of the situation.

In fact, it was Spies who actually benefited most from the treacherous conditions. Still feeling beaten up following Saturday?s fall and desperate to slow the surging Mladin who entered the race with four straight wins, Spies came through in a big way when given the chance.

He quickly worked his way into the lead on the opening lap and then added chunks to what became a huge gap with each successive lap. While the sketchy conditions resulted in a few moments for him out there, Spies remained firmly in control en route to his third win of the season. The victory was the 14th of his young Superbike career, tying him with former world champs Eddie Lawson and Scott Russell for eighth on the all-time list.

Afterwards Spies said, ?My guys had to stay here until about one in the morning last night to build me another bike for today after I totaled that one yesterday. We definitely needed a handicapped race today. In the dry we didn?t have the pace.

?The race was good. My crew kept waving me to slow down and I was nodding, ?I see ya?ll, but I?m not slowing down.? I was just afraid the track was going to dry and I was going to need a cushion. The bike was awesome in the rain and I feel like I rode okay. It?s good to get the points lead back and it?s a little pressure off my shoulders, getting another win.?

Spies was helped out by his close friend Jamie Hacking, who put together an excellent race in the rain for the struggling Kawasaki Superbike effort. The British-born Hacking tracked down Mladin on lap 9 of 16 and held the runner-up position to the flag, crossing the line 11.794 seconds behind the winner.

Mladin eased up to grab a safe third, the only other man on the lead minute(!), 36.612 seconds off of Spies.

Jordan Motorsports Suzuki?s Aaron Yates (fourth), Corona Extra Honda?s James Ellison (fifth), American Honda?s Jake Zemke (sixth), and Yates? teammate Jake Holden (seventh) were the only others to finish on the lead lap.

A number of factory stars paid for pushing a bit too hard in the wet. American Honda?s Miguel DuHamel, MV Agusta?s Matt Lynn, and Tommy and Roger Hayden all crashed in similar incidents, falling at relatively high speed while still straight-up-and-down, braking at the end of one of the circuit?s long straights.

Spies now boasts 307 points to Mladin?s 305 following nine of 19 2007 races. Zemke is a distant third at 232.

RacingNation Crew

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