Spies to make wild card appearance at Valencia

Ben Spies will make a wild card appearance for Yamaha in the final round of 2009 at Valencia ahead of his permanent move into MotoGP next year.

Following the announcement on Thursday that Ben Spies will move to MotoGP in 2010, Yamaha Motor Company now announces that it will enter the Texan as a wild card into the season-ending Valencia race.

25-year-old Spies will participate as a single rider entry of a Yamaha Factory Racing Team, using YZR-M1 test bikes brought over from Japan. The Valencia MotoGP round takes place 6-8th November, two weeks after the final World Superbike round in Portugal.

The wild card entry will provide an opportunity for Spies to get extra circuit time prior to his inclusion in the Tech 3 Yamaha Team for the two-day MotoGP test on the Tuesday and Wednesday after the Grand Prix.

Yamaha Factory Racing Team Press Release

http://www.motogp.com

Spies to make wild card appearance at Valencia

Ben Spies will make a wild card appearance for Yamaha in the final round of 2009 at Valencia ahead of his permanent move into MotoGP next year.

Following the announcement on Thursday that Ben Spies will move to MotoGP in 2010, Yamaha Motor Company now announces that it will enter the Texan as a wild card into the season-ending Valencia race.

25-year-old Spies will participate as a single rider entry of a Yamaha Factory Racing Team, using YZR-M1 test bikes brought over from Japan. The Valencia MotoGP round takes place 6-8th November, two weeks after the final World Superbike round in Portugal.

The wild card entry will provide an opportunity for Spies to get extra circuit time prior to his inclusion in the Tech 3 Yamaha Team for the two-day MotoGP test on the Tuesday and Wednesday after the Grand Prix.

Yamaha Factory Racing Team Press Release

http://www.motogp.com

Spies to make wild card appearance at Valencia

Ben Spies will make a wild card appearance for Yamaha in the final round of 2009 at Valencia ahead of his permanent move into MotoGP next year.

Following the announcement on Thursday that Ben Spies will move to MotoGP in 2010, Yamaha Motor Company now announces that it will enter the Texan as a wild card into the season-ending Valencia race.

25-year-old Spies will participate as a single rider entry of a Yamaha Factory Racing Team, using YZR-M1 test bikes brought over from Japan. The Valencia MotoGP round takes place 6-8th November, two weeks after the final World Superbike round in Portugal.

The wild card entry will provide an opportunity for Spies to get extra circuit time prior to his inclusion in the Tech 3 Yamaha Team for the two-day MotoGP test on the Tuesday and Wednesday after the Grand Prix.

Yamaha Factory Racing Team Press Release

http://www.motogp.com

Moto GP Schedule 2009

No Date Circuit / Country Status
1 12 April 2009 DOHA / QATAR Losail IMMEDIATE
2 26 April 2009 MONTEGI JAPAN SOON
3 03 Mei 2009 Jerez de la Frontera SPAIN SOON
4 May 17, 2009 Le Mans FRANCE MAY SOON
5 May 31, 2009 IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY Mugello ITALI
6 June 14, 2009 IMMEDIATE Catalunya Catalunya
7 June 27, 2009 IMMEDIATE Assen NETHERLANDS
8 05 Juli 2009 Laguna Seca AMERICA IMMEDIATELY
9 July 19, 2009 Sachsenring GERMANY SOON
10 July 26, 2009 Donington Park UK SOON
11 August 16, 2009 Brno CZECH REP IMMEDIATE
12 August 30, 2009 IMMEDIATE Indianapolis Indianapolis
06 September 13 San Marino 2009 San Marino & Rimini RIVIERA IN IMMEDIATE
14 20 September 2009 HUNGARY LAKE BLATON SOON
15 04 Oktober 2009 Estoril Portugal IMMEDIATE
16 October 18, 2009 AUSTRALIA PHILLIP ISLAND SOON
17 October 25, 2009 SEPANG MALAYSIA SOON
18 18 November 2009 IMMEDIATE Ricardo Tormo Valencia

Moto GP Schedule 2009

No Date Circuit / Country Status
1 12 April 2009 DOHA / QATAR Losail IMMEDIATE
2 26 April 2009 MONTEGI JAPAN SOON
3 03 Mei 2009 Jerez de la Frontera SPAIN SOON
4 May 17, 2009 Le Mans FRANCE MAY SOON
5 May 31, 2009 IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY Mugello ITALI
6 June 14, 2009 IMMEDIATE Catalunya Catalunya
7 June 27, 2009 IMMEDIATE Assen NETHERLANDS
8 05 Juli 2009 Laguna Seca AMERICA IMMEDIATELY
9 July 19, 2009 Sachsenring GERMANY SOON
10 July 26, 2009 Donington Park UK SOON
11 August 16, 2009 Brno CZECH REP IMMEDIATE
12 August 30, 2009 IMMEDIATE Indianapolis Indianapolis
06 September 13 San Marino 2009 San Marino & Rimini RIVIERA IN IMMEDIATE
14 20 September 2009 HUNGARY LAKE BLATON SOON
15 04 Oktober 2009 Estoril Portugal IMMEDIATE
16 October 18, 2009 AUSTRALIA PHILLIP ISLAND SOON
17 October 25, 2009 SEPANG MALAYSIA SOON
18 18 November 2009 IMMEDIATE Ricardo Tormo Valencia

Moto GP Schedule 2009

No Date Circuit / Country Status
1 12 April 2009 DOHA / QATAR Losail IMMEDIATE
2 26 April 2009 MONTEGI JAPAN SOON
3 03 Mei 2009 Jerez de la Frontera SPAIN SOON
4 May 17, 2009 Le Mans FRANCE MAY SOON
5 May 31, 2009 IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY Mugello ITALI
6 June 14, 2009 IMMEDIATE Catalunya Catalunya
7 June 27, 2009 IMMEDIATE Assen NETHERLANDS
8 05 Juli 2009 Laguna Seca AMERICA IMMEDIATELY
9 July 19, 2009 Sachsenring GERMANY SOON
10 July 26, 2009 Donington Park UK SOON
11 August 16, 2009 Brno CZECH REP IMMEDIATE
12 August 30, 2009 IMMEDIATE Indianapolis Indianapolis
06 September 13 San Marino 2009 San Marino & Rimini RIVIERA IN IMMEDIATE
14 20 September 2009 HUNGARY LAKE BLATON SOON
15 04 Oktober 2009 Estoril Portugal IMMEDIATE
16 October 18, 2009 AUSTRALIA PHILLIP ISLAND SOON
17 October 25, 2009 SEPANG MALAYSIA SOON
18 18 November 2009 IMMEDIATE Ricardo Tormo Valencia

GALLERY: PRE-SEASON TRAINING

The players have been back in training this week, and on Friday our official photographer headed down to Carrington to capture the first shots of Michael Owen in training with his new team-mates.

Owen, who signed for the Reds this month on a free transfer, looks to have settled in at United already - of course, he already knows many of his new team-mates from the England set-up.

The Reds are now in full preparation mode for the 2009/10 campaign, and the squad are getting ready to fly out on the pre-season tour of Asia late next week.

But while there's plenty of hard work being done to build fitness ahead of United's Barclays Premier League title defence and another European assault, there's still time to have some fun, as our exclusive pictures show.more detail