Ben Spies admits he needs to be ‘perfect’ if he is to catch Noriyuki Haga and win the World Superbike Championship in his rookie season.
With four Superpoles and three wins under his belt, including a dramatic last gasp triumph over arch-rival Haga at Assen, Spies has shown he has the pace to beat his nemesis in a straight fight.
However, three other failures to score at Phillip Island, Valencia and Assen have pushed Spies onto the back foot and moved him some 60 points behind Haga after eight races.
“This is not how I like to run championships,” Spies admitted. “I’ve had three no points races and basically now it’s coming down to I have to be perfect now and do nothing but win races to catch up in the championship.”
“Regardless of the hit we took today I’m still proud of the team and the way I’ve ridden as a rookie in this series. I still want to try to win this championship, but it’s going to be tough.”
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