There is slowing building interest in Ben Spies from the MotoGP paddock. The young American Superbike champion could very possibly be in MotoGP next season--but on which team and bike is very much up in the air right now. What will it take for him to get hired on a world championship team? The same thing that earned him his Superbike championship: results.

Spies nailed his first fairly-impressive MotoGP bike crash this morning in turn three in the opening MotoGP practice session. He lost the front on the brakes running into turn three and slid into the gravel with the bike doing several component-bending somersaults. Although Spies had to be sore after the crash he went back out on his second bike and finished the session eleventh-fastest.

There seem to be several assumptions surrounding Spies. That he'll be in MotoGP next season and that he'll be on the factory Suzuki team. These may or not come to pass. One point to ponder is that Chris Vermeulen's podium finish last weekend at Sachsenring may motivate Suzuki to re-sign him, which leaves no open spot at Rizla Suzuki.

Spies is not yet on the 'must sign him' list as compiled by MotoGP team managers; he'll need a really good race result, at least a top five, to get his name on that sheet of paper.

Spies to Honda? The Italian press are reporting today that team owner Fausto Gresini may have interest in Spies for his Honda satellite MotoGP team.