2004 Yamaha Vino (henderson) on 2040-motos

Moto blog

Ben Spies Leaving Yamaha At End of 2012 MotoGP Season

MotoGP racer Ben Spies has announced he will not re-sign with Yamaha while hinting at an impending announcement for his plans for the 2013 racing season. Earlier this week, Spies used Twitter (@BenSpies11) to hint at a change for next season. In an email to SuperbikePlanet, Spies confirmed he has decided not to remain with Yamaha for several unspecified reasons.

Yamaha to Cut Motorcycle Production in 2009

With mounting inventories coupled with a drop in demand, Yamaha will be cutting its motorcycle production in Japan by 24 percent this year or to about 260,000 total units; one newspaper reported this would be a 40-year low for the manufacture. Yamaha plans to cut production for motorcycles and other products by 30 percent in the Americas, 20 percent in Europe but will maintain production levels in Asia where demand has not dropped off. The company is forecasting its group sales to fall 22 percent with an operating loss of about $300 million.

What Would Colin Edwards Do?

As fast as Colin Edwards is on the track, the Texas Tornado may be even quicker behind a microphone. We saw some of that last year in the Yamaha-produced “Man-Cation” video with Edwards and his then-Tech 3 teammate Ben Spies, and Edwards can always be relied upon for a good quote at press conferences. The producers of MotoGP’s official video podcast “After the Flag” have taken notice of CEIII’s wit.