Ben Spies on why Marc Marquez is leaving Honda & joining Ducati in 2024... Biggest MotoGP news 🫣🤯

In the biggest MotoGP news of 2023, Marc Marquez announced that he will be going to Ducati in 2024 after years of crashing his HRC Honda he is jumping shit and will be joining Ducati for the 2024 MotoGP season and beyond.
Ben Spies is an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame’r that had an incredible road racing career both in the US and in Europe. Ben rose to fame racing in the glory years of the AMA Superbike Championship and his battles with Aussie Matt Mladin are legendary. The GFC in 2008 force Ben to look for opportunities to race overseas and in 2009 he made the move to the WSBK Championship and then onto MotoGP. Ben is one of the nicest guys you can hope to ever meet and I loved getting the chance to talk his career and life.
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[@GYPSYTALES]

You can watch the full podcast by heading to our 2nd channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/majKipWtmbOUeKM

[@timoneill8283]

Allways a fan Ben...you are a great champ

[@smknjoe98]

that Mandalika crash was brutal to watch... i was thinking that bike is gonna kill him. I honestly have more respect for him with what he's gone through in the last few years than i did when he was winning everything. Valencia on Tues should be interesting.

[@Showmetheevidence-]

And now he’s top of the time sheets,……

[@MrMotorNerd]

I remember USGP where MM blew up the bike , jumped wall , runs back to spare bike in pits and gets it done in qualifying, with seconds to go . He went from 10th to 1st . Fuck i loved that , it was next level special .

[@evilzinabyssranger5695]

it was cool but i think he should have beeen punished by it. He left the bike on the straight and the bike had the condition to be ridden to the pit lane

[@MrMotorNerd]

@@evilzinabyssranger5695 OK Karen ..

[@corradobernasconi7323]

​@@evilzinabyssranger5695non è una Formula Uno......

[@Showmetheevidence-]

It’s nice hearing Ben’s *insider* commentary vs some of the ridiculous things the fans or anti-fans say/think they know.

[@wradford1]

The sport needs fans more than it needs Ben

[@derfel72]

This stuff with Ben is fantastic, it's nice to see this side of him and to hear his perspective.

[@jaytroxel3495]

I always thought that B. Spies was kinda standoff-ish when it came to the cameras and interviews. He never said much.. was never really animated like some other riders. I guess all riders have a responsibility to do interviews in front of the camera for the sport and for their sponsors. I see now that Ben is a super down to earth guy.. well spoken and calm as the day is long. Much respect. I really wish Ben and his new Rahal Ducati team all the best in 2024.

[@jflan8536]

Problem is Marc Marquez is out riding the bike he is on. His skills outperform the platform. This is unlike other riders and their platforms. Plain and simple. Unfortunately, Honda has not made the improvements to that platform. It is time for him to leave and find a different platform.

[@IanMurray-zq3uf]

he has to fight the bike too much

[@js290]

Stoner optimized on minimizing risk... Marquez seems to be fine maximizing risk... in the end, they're both responsible for the development of the bike; I reckon Stoner did a better job at bike development

[@davidclemens6075]

In one of the Oxley-Bom podcasts, Peter Bom nails the HRC issue. It's business culture. Poor communication, decisions revisited, closet meetings in Japan, functions working in silos, etc. He was wise to leave. Unfortunately, I don't think that will wake HRC up.

[@lee4171]

Agreed. One of the most historic and hard-working marque's gone...through stupidity.

[@akaminw2583]

What I would give to see Márquez on a Gypsy tales podcast.

[@BERZERKERSV4]

Wow... great pod cast

[@Lovenishsharma57]

Shout out to Ben, I stared my journey as a motorcycle fan back in 2009 when I first saw the brand new R1 and then Ben winning that year's Championship , been a fan ever since and what a fantastic guy man. Respect !

[@itsmebatman]

I wonder how the Honda became that bad. I vaguely remember how well it worked for Stoner until it started trying to kill him. Marquez tamed it to some degree but it always stayed super dangerous. I am just a fan watching casually but I find it super hard to grasp how a manufacturer like Honda cam fail like that.

[@tjroelsma]

It became that bad because Marquez didn't tame it. Marquez' unique talents allowed him to learn to "ride around" the problems by adapting to a unique driving style. If you go back a bit and watch races from before he broke his arm, many of the experienced commentators mentioned Marquez' extreme riding style. He braked very late and very hard, leaned the bike in at almost impossible angles (60 degrees or more) just to force it through the corner and then fired it out of the corner. He basically rode it in an extreme version of the stop-and-go style that was popular in the two-stroke era. When Marquez broke his arm and had to recover, Honda was finally forced to acknowledge that the one rider that COULD make the bike perform was out of the running for a long time and that they now had to listen to the ongoing complaints of the other Honda riders. So they finally started to change the bike. When Marquez returned to racing, he went out on this new bike, that turns out to be neither fish nor flesh when you really push it. Honda failed in many ways, one of the most important in my opinion being them firing Pedrosa, who developed the Honda while Marquez was winning. Then they underestimated the effect of the aerodynamic improvements Ducati pioneered and on top of that they ignored the electronic ride-assists Ducati also pioneered. So it's a triple whammy as far as Honda is concerned and when they finally reacted it was half-hearted and therefore too little, too late in my opinion.

[@POLDRO]

I've never been a huge fan of Marquez but I am a huge Ducati fan. But, of a guy who on so many occasions has kept with the bike when heading into a high speed corner crash from a front wheel slide, used his elbow to deliver it from the edge of chaos and then deliver himself back in the pointy end mix, is inarguably some very unique talent. I do believe WSB Foggy era had a few riders with the similar grit as Marquez but even they lacked his mindset and could never have made it work in the 500 two banger class or MOTO GP... 2024 will certainly answer a few bias thoughts and questions.

[@johnyqtx]

Let's not forget Alex Rins winning this year (2023) on the LCR Honda...

[@markg7834]

The commentator should allow his guests to speak more.

[@neilreid2298]

He thinks he's on the same level as his guests. Frankly his foul language distracts from the show also. I'm only here to listen to Spies; I skip past the commentator "wisdom"

[@gbone7581]

Marc is as fearless as a pitbull attacking a bear but there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Where are all the other Honda riders? Either in hospital or at the back. (Except for Alex Rins, he was at the front and then in hospital) Marc is going to be right at the front with the Ducati but I hope Gresini can afford the repair bills.

[@JuniorJr_23]

I'd really like to see Ben on an R1 in World Superbikes again! Let's go Ben.

[@KikiDaily09]

wow great insight from ben spies.. great point overview about marc towing... damn bro

[@12macevedo]

Sitting around and having some… Gatorade… yeah hahaha

[@chubbyguyschannel6864]

Just love the guy...period

[@Incountry]

If I was towing someone that means I’m fast… I’ll improve because you’re following me.!

[@macedhx]

I love Honda but man it was painfull seeing him on that underdeveloped bike. If he wins the 2024 championship on the ducati i am going to loose it! Good luck 2024 Marquez!

[@Physiovale46]

Well said brother ❤

[@SMHman666]

@@Physiovale46 He's such an exciting rider to watch because you know he's pushing it ALL THE TIME! A bit like Colin MaCrae was when rallying.

[@Physiovale46]

@@SMHman666 Absolutely, he is the most talented rider and I bet his timesheet already put stress on other riders.

[@jamesordwayultralightpilot]

They'll know what it's like to try and set a time when Marc is competitive.

[@macedhx]

@@SMHman666 Exactly!

[@robhines2235]

I'd like to hear Ben's thoughts on Kayla Yaakov.

[@Qassu78]

IMHO, Marc leaving Honda and going to Ducati is going to be a jackpot for Marc, Honda and the whole MotoGP. Marc was so successfull and long term rider for Honda it begun to cause problems. Honda was developed for Marc and for Marc only and that was eventually a bad thing. Honda suited well for Marc's very aggressive style and it became very tough bike to ride for other riders and after the recent years of pretty severe injuries, it became a very tough bike to ride for Marc too. Now Honda can get a fresh start on development and so can Marc too. It'll take a year or two for Honda to recover from their disasterous bike and it'll take propably a good six months for Marc to really get into Ducati but I believe Marc still has it what it takes to become the champion. And so does Honda have what it takes to build the ultimate winning machine again after they rid themselves from the tech decisions that were made to make Honda suitable for Marc and his aggressive riding. But what I really hope for MotoGP's sake, is that Suzuki and Kawasaki would participate again. And hell, why not even Buell? The new Buell could be really interesting team for both MotoGP and WSBK.

[@mark-w3w5p]

Marc wins everything, he is the best ever. Starts losing, it's the bike.

[@wradford1]

Well, the bike was a pos 🤷‍♂️

[@petersmith9470]

On a Ducati means he'll just punt riders off quicker, but this time he won't have the Honda Repsol rulebook to look out for him.

[@TheArchitect216]

Ben Spies is a real G

[@slipstreamautosport]

Quality podcast 🔥🔥🔥

[@justonsullivan3807]

I can't wait to see Marc on a Ducati. He is going to kick ass next year, and it's going to bring Alex up to the next level. I really believe that we will see Marc and Alex up front fighting for wins. 🙏🇺🇲🗽🇺🇲🙏

[@gbone7581]

I don't see Alex beating Marc on the same bike.

[@seneormoneybags]

lol hes gonna be an even greater danger to the grid now that he has to prove himself on the best bike. gonna be taking out people every other gp and dorna will look the other way for their golden boy

[@jamesordwayultralightpilot]

It would be better to see a team work together for 1st and second every race and be closer than any other team since they are brothers, and one is cool with the other having the better bike. I can dream but these two can basically do what they want out there if they work together and don't let politics get in the way of skilled racing.

[@seneormoneybags]

@@jamesordwayultralightpilot LOL its not a team sport thats not how this works

[@divyanshchouhan-fn4fs]

You are right

[@peoplesambassadordm8279]

Think spies nickname was "elbows" in gp days... on the Yamaha in motogp he had this elbows riding style... 🦾🦾

[@slabman3000]

Is that why VR46 is going to Yamaha?

[@Stingraeee]

4:35 damn, he was so on point. I mean why everyone mad at Marc who ride a freakin' Honda behind you. I guessed your bike is 20% more faster and more powerful than that Honda being riden by Marc Marquez himself. If ur riding Ducati, KTM, Aprilia and knew Honda behind you, just let it be wait till chequered flag, he still sits behind you😂 Someraces i watches Marc followed Zarco/Vinales but his Honda still cant compete with them, or at least at Le Mans Marc fall off at last 5laps😂😂😂😂😂

[@joseacuna3239]

If you see the physical damage he’s willing to take in order to win, you’ll understand his passion. The guy is good.

[@hugoramos4148]

Respect for Marc Marquez for what he did in the past and also what he is capable of doing in the current honda bike, but that doesn't excuse him to get into dangerous situations like he has been every other weekend. That crash against Oliveira in the start of the season is just brutal and horrendous, imagine having a 160 Kg bike rammed against your back at 100 kmh... Its just mental. Ended Oliveira season right there and then, which was shaping to be a good one, just because he was too self absorbed in not being capable of being competitive within the safe limit. He for sure knows that he is over the limit, and to do that to other riders is just inexcusable.

[@jamesordwayultralightpilot]

Again it wasn't his fault. He was just fast enough to crash into him. Everyone else was stuck at the back of the pack scared to push.

[@KimmyR3]

if MM93 knew that the bike is not where he wants it to be, then why be stubborn and still go over the line? yes as a racer they always want to go fast, but he already know the limit and also know what happens after,. add to that that he can't help develop a bike that's why Honda has slumped for a few years now.

[@soraaoixxthebluesky]

Marc will lap the whole field on that Ducati. Mark my words.

[@LanderYomismo]

Goat❤

[@imsa15463]

Classic example of an interviewer not knowing how to just ask a question, and then shut the hell up.

[@lancemurdoc6744]

Marc dramatic injury was not a result of a crash. It was the result of stupidity during the healing process. No one ever question is quallity as a rider. But he could had it all, in fact he had it all...he threw it all away. He is neither nice nor cool or charimatic. And by the way, any other rider would be forced to fullfill his contract. Ducati don't need him to win a title.

[@2Truth2you]

🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@jamesordwayultralightpilot]

All his choices and fabricated drama from the 3rd party. No reason to judge or disrespect him or his talents and achievements. Still the most talented guy on the grid for 2 generations now.

[@corradobernasconi7323]

È vero, è Marquez che ha bisogno della Ducati, perché la Honda è rimasta indietro, la Yamaha, peggio, la Suzuki se n'è andata, sulla Ducati vanno forte tutti, tutti la vogliono, perché lui no?

[@jonparker1712]

Why can’t Ben say Rossi? Team Yellow?

[@scienceownsimposters2142]

lol...

[@P4P5]

When factory bike is so bad, that you are willing to go to a customer bike that is 1 year old.

[@BBradford1825]

👍🏾

[@TheJGJR9]

sounds like mm93 is stewing it

[@sbsb4995]

Honda is finished. Marc is smart to move on. Honda is rubbish.

[@needmetal3221]

Pushing the honda was going to end his career

[@VinayKumar-db4qz]

Honda engines sucked even in F1 a few years ago, look at them now with Red Bull, never under estimate Honda, they will be back stronger.

[@suzuki79dan20]

The title of this click byte is “ will Marquez come back?” My answer is “ He never left “ who ever raced motorcycles at any level will understand what I’m saying

[@WestbrickFansGotNoBrains]

Not a fan of rossi or mm93. But i do think rossi benefitted in a era with weak challengers/competitors. Every riders that managed to rival rossi, stoner lorenzo and dani pedrosa destroyed them as well, as soon as they joined the premier class. Rossi fighting against stoner lorenzo and even dani are truly pinnacle of motogp with those bridgestone tyres

[@johnwarren9993]

😂😂😂 not after the test ride he made... Almost beat his best time ever on the Honda, on the first ride. Wait till he finds his groove. You guys are done... Nobody's gonna be close.

[@jamesordwayultralightpilot]

Kinda like when he debuted on the Honda and finished 3rd. These kids don't know talent, they think that shit is just given to the youth.

[@tomosunara874]

MM93🦾

[@macsmith6216]

Think that’s a slight exaggeration, Marquez doesn’t get on his bike and think I’m prepared to die Give yer head a shake

[@phillysslydogsly4186]

In my opinion, Marc is the GOAT. Rossi is the popular rich kid who has everyone help him to Win. Marc is the true talent who finds any possible way to win but hated by the NPCs. Hope Martin wins the title, he’s the scrappy rider from a poor family. Pecco is cool & way more humble than Rossi but still the privileged kid from the vr46 academy. Vinales is another one who deserves a title, guy has won with 2 mfgs. Still a brides maid for Aprilla tho haha

[@epicon6]

Rossi is a great for sure, Marc is the purest form of talent there will ever be.

[@jordanchew9552]

True but if Casey stoner didn't get hit with his illness, there might be great battle of talents with him and marquez

[@epicon6]

@@jordanchew9552 That would have been a duel of a century!! In the end i see it as a positive that Stoner stepped aside when he did, because that gave Marc the spot at Repson Honda that launched the best era of MotoGP for me. And even then Marc almost didn’t get that spot because there used to be a rule that rookies can’t get factory contracts, so satellite teams would have some talent and that riders could earn a better ride, but luckily everyone accepted Marc going straight to a Factory team. Stoner’s illness was inevitable and there’s no way it would have gotten any better had he continued suffering like he did, so i don’t feel bad for him for leaving and he had alredy achieved so much.

[@jordanchew9552]

@@epicon6 true to that

[@cranky1812]

Your opinion is absolutely wrong, lol. Just going by facts Valentino is at a different level compared to Marc, one simple example, Valentino left Honda at it's peak to prove a point and joined struggling Yamaha. Marc has left Honda when they are struggling to a successful Ducati. This is one of the reasons that he will never be the GOAT. FYI, this term "GOAT" was given to Valentino by WSBK world champion Colin Edwards. Not me or you, a true racer.

[@joaoaguiar8131]

There are crashes and crashes.. The one with Oliveira he was blasted because he breaked way too late it was his fault, not the bike. He got a penalty for that

[@thepro08]

he didnt get any penalty as he was "injured" almost killed oliveira that never was the same again.... he faked a injury and didnt went the next race.... penalty he should get is a ban for being a danger to other drivers in almost all racing weekends.... he doesnt care and nothing happens because he is the sacred cow, now go to that in any track race or any race in the world and find out....

[@thelegendrider6007]

​@@thepro08And Oliver did same mistake like Marc In Qatar it happen to everyone who's bike performance are lower than other riders they have to break late to maintain the gap but doing that is risky too. Oliver will atleast understand now why Marc crash on him.

[@jamesordwayultralightpilot]

I bet they all get it. The only ones out for blood every crash is the "fans" Most seasoned fans know racing incidents happen, nobody crucified Rossi for killing his friend. Shit happens, why add insult to injury. They all know the dangers, they still race regardless.

[@7orqu3]

Boouuuuwwwyyyyyyick

[@Andyiswatching]

Rossi fans hate Marc because he retires him. Marc has balls

[@SMHman666]

Andy He certainly does and that's what makes him exciting to watch. You know he'll go for that gap or risk riding around the outside for an overtake. People complain but he is a real racer and that's what we like to see. I think he'll be a serious threat this season.

[@originas8569]

uuhhhm.... Marc is also Rossi's fans

[@Andyiswatching]

@@SMHman666 Look where is the Honda of Marc when he is racing and where is the rest of the Hondas. He is special i want to know how is going to perform in the Ducati.

[@claudemaggard7162]

Fuck marc marquez. He will never ride a bike as long as rossi did.

[@elgar6743]

Given his extraordinary salary/remuneration...extraordinary performance from mm93 is EXPECTED...and rightly so. This comment of 'he's paid his dues' is incorrect. HONDA is paying NOW, for mm93's PAST performances, with the contractual expectation of 100% effort. mm93 can simply, 'cry me a river' for his current lack of results...

[@400chevlc]

I'm sure you know what you're trying to say because nobody else does.

[@elgar6743]

@@400chevlc Seems that 'context' ain't your thing, huh? Obviously...

[@thelegendrider6007]

​@@elgar6743Honda paying because Marc have ability but bike is not competitive enough to beat Ducati even if he override it now. They are too much behind.I watch full broadcast of test yesterday he was top 2 Ducati in just 46 laps riding normally. Think what he will do if he override that Ducati after he fully adapt I don't think anyone have ability to beat him with same performance bike. Ducati riders already start to check Marc Marquez data Enea said in turn 8 Marc did something which he don't understand. Bez was following Marc during test to understand Marc riding style but Marc didn't ride much like other riders He end his test session 1and half hrs early when he was in P1. Later Maverick, Bez and Binder beat that lap time Binder even crash pushing too hard.

[@jamesordwayultralightpilot]

Yeah Marc has always been playing on medium difficulty, Honda decided to do what they want and it was like Marc was on expert difficulty for a few years now. Now Marc's on the same bike as every other "winner" and he's gonna show them how to ride fast.

[@HutchSco]

@@400chevlcgarbling bullshit

[@MotorCityKitty1112]

You guys are way too kind. Look what he’s been through, yeah..almost taking out every other pilot on the grid…not to mention his cheating on a daily. Sorry guys…happy holidays!

[@SosopChabot]

Lol, you are so far from reality. You should listen to Ben instead of THINKING you know what’s going on. Racers are based in reality, not emotions…

[@MotorCityKitty1112]

@@bibothor206 everyone is entitled to their own opinions….so u guys are always right and I’m always wrong…that some bullship! He’s a cheating pos.

[@motorsportfanboy7769]

@@bibothor206Yeah this guy kinda just prove his point 💀

[@Motorbikes950]

When did he cheat?

[@MotorCityKitty1112]

@@Motorbikes950 you have to be joking, correct? Just about every race he seems to do something and get away with it where as any other pilot would have been in trouble.

[@KapitanPisoar1]

It is the bike Marquez developed, or failed developing. Don't forget that! Now he is running away to the best bike in the field, like a little kid who broke a window. Yes he is one of the most talented riders ever, but obviously he is not that great... Bro here is obviously 93s fan boy excusing his reckless riding taking out one rider after another, he is the dirtiest rider on the grid and it is coming back to him. None of the new guys are scared of him, most of them detest him...

[@flazone4486]

Marc and Dani developped the Hondas before 2020, but that terrible crash in Jerez destroyed everything for Honda and Marc because the factory lost pratically 2 years of developing and feedback from Marc and they lost the way against Ducati, Ktm and Aprilia who they were giving their maximum to take advantage to that bad moment for Honda, if that crash wouldn’t have happened the Honda/Marc duo would still be strong even today and they would keep winning and fighting for championships, and with the Ducati satellite he’s going to destroy everyone and will silence all his haters and he already start to do that in the Valencia test scaring the whole world with not in his maximum level physically and mentally and with no experience and setup on the bike, Marc did dirty moves it’s true but that’s because Honda didn’t listen to his feedbacks and advices, and when he comeback after his big and long injury he had to risk a lot and make all by himself to stay at least in the top 10 in every race and this leads to have many incidents, and we had just to watch where all the Honda riders were in every race, always fighting in the last positions and to at least enter in the points zone, Vale as well was dirty and a lot of great champions but that’s not make them not great, they are still great because they won everything.

[@lawrencefranck9417]

Marc can’t stay on the bike. I don’t see him making a comeback to the top.

[@SosopChabot]

Did you not listen to the podcast???

[@Motorbikes950]

​@@SosopChabotDon't try, they don't care they just hate.

[@lawrencefranck9417]

@@SosopChabot I did. Once apon time he’d catch the crash and and keep going. Marc knows the limit of the bike and to push past that is illogical and reckless. The edge he once rode now throws him that not a bike issue.

[@SosopChabot]

@@lawrencefranck9417 Incorrect, it is a bike issue… He could do all that stuff if he had a bike that gave him confidence and feel, once you loose that feel, you crash because you can’t “feel it”. You haven’t raced at a decent level, so listen to the ones that have…

[@sburns2421]

All the Honda riders have crashed like crazy. The bike is inconsistent and performs poorly. Anyone thinking he will struggle on the Ducati is delusional. Pecco knows who his biggest rival will be next year.

[@mfactory451]

you can see Marini already quick and first time on Honda. So obviously the bike is no that bad. so FU 93. Also Honda was made for him nt for other riders so.... others can not be as fast as him since bike suits his style.

[@scottk8559]

Part of the reason the Honda is behind is because of MM. they were on their back foot in preseason testing leading into 2020. These things happen. Then MM went out first race and was on the podium but continued to push and crashed. And missed the rest of the season. Now the defending world champ rider bike and team are behind an entire years development. Then the next season he missed many races because the bike was undeveloped and he crashed more. Rinse and repeat. This is on MM

[@LeighDouglas-r1j]

I think everyone respects Marquez and his undoubtable ability. His mental status that has been responsible for taking other riders out, has become dangerous so let's hope if he continues to hit the deck he doesn't take other riders with him. 🧠🙏

[@flazone4486]

With Ducati it’s sure that he would not going to do that anymore because he would not have the necessity to risk a lot and to push like a hell as he was doing those last years with that shit Honda.

[@MonkeyButtRides]

MM stuck with Honda, longer than Honda deserves.