VOLUME 57 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 15, 2020 P73
I saw how good Joe Roberts and
how good Garrett Gerloff have
been doing over there this year.
Honestly, they kind of inspired me
a little bit to go do that. Yeah, to
be truthful when I was over there
in 2009 and racing the 125 class,
I didn't have any one over there
with me. I was just 15 or 16 years
old and trying to find my way to
the airport. It was tough. It was
awesome and it was great, but
it was a tough year on me away
from the track. And at the track,
we were on KTMs and that wasn't
the greatest bike at the time and
we just kind of got smoked over
there and it all kind of put a sour
taste in my mouth about going
back over there. I had a taste of
Europe at a young age and real-
ized and knew how good I had it
here with Yamaha, and so I took
advantage of that, and I'm super-
thankful I did that just because of
all of the great relationships I've
built. I've been able to set myself
up for the future. It's been awe-
some, but just seeing how good
Joe and Garrett have been doing
over there, I'm ready to join them
and try to do that myself. I definite-
ly feel like this year has sparked
some hunger in me and it should
be good.
MotoAmerica Superbike class. I
just think this year was our year
and I'm happy to be able to get
out of here with this season that
we've had and to move on. Who
knows? Those guys can step up
next year and it can be a different
story. I'm happy to do what we
did and to move on and to go see
what I've got on the world stage.
When word started to get
out that you just might make a
move to race overseas in 2021,
I kept expecting to hear news
that you'd compete in the World
Superbike Championship with
Yamaha. Did that opportunity
ever present itself at all?
Yeah, there had been an ongo-
ing conversation with Yamaha the
last few years about getting over
there, but truthfully, my deal here
in America was too good to give
up. Yamaha took good care of
me, and we won a lot of cham-
pionships together, and I was
comfortable there with them, and I
didn't want to give up the opportu-
nity that I had here for something I
wasn't quite sure about over there.
Going into this 2020 season here
in America, I was pretty adamant
about wanting to get over there.
I don't know. I guess something
kind of changed in my brain when
Yeah, honestly, I think it is time
for a new challenge for me. That
doesn't mean that the guys that
I'm racing against are slouches.
For example, my teammate Jake
Gagne, it was his first year with
the team and the bike, and he did
incredible. He's going to be even
faster next year. Same with guys
like Bobby Fong and Mathew
Scholtz and Toni Elias. There is
a ton of talent and a ton of good
riders and competitors in the
YOU'VE GOT TO GO OVER
THERE THINKING, 'THESE F-ING
EUROPEANS AREN'T GOOD
ENOUGH.' THEY'RE NOT." –Ben Spies
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