Ben Spies will arrive back to competition racing this week for the initial MotoGP Test of the season at Sepang, after not having raced a motorcycle in over two months.

A second test at the same track three weeks later will be the main goal for Spies when he prepares to take to the circuit on Thursday and be attempting to locate his first feeling with the bike he will race with for this year.

“The good thing is that we go back again three weeks later, so I’m not in a rush at all to prove anything in the first test,” explains Spies. “Time-wise I’m not so concerned, I just want to put laps in and mess with the bike so I’m actually changing things. After the test at Valencia we didn’t change anything with the bike, so really I’ll just get a solid set-up and then we’ll go back there again in three weeks and that’s where I’ll really start trying to get down to my business, doing the best I can and getting up to speed. This first test is more just a shakedown. I’ve not ridden a motorcycle since the Valencia race, I haven’t ridden a motocross bike – I haven’t done anything. I’ve just been lying low, so I have to knock the dust off and start working with the new team and see how that goes.”

When prompted about the M1 he will race this year, Spies adds: “Honestly I don’t know! I’m going to ride it as hard as I can whatever I’m given. I would like to say that with the new engine rules and things like that, that I feel that a satellite team bike from any manufacturer is going to be closer than it has been in recent years, just because it’s a lot cheaper on a manufacturer to produce. But I really can’t tell you what I’m going to be on compared to what the factory guys will be on, or if it’s going to be the same identical bike. I have no clue right now but I’m just going to show up in Malaysia and start clicking off laps, and start that learning process.”

Spies’ preparations have encountered his normal routine which incorporates fitness work and lots of cycling, he has competed in events to keep a racing focus.

“I’ve been doing a lot of physical preparation. My training during the season will be a little bit different because I’ll be doing one race in a day instead of two: I’ll have to consult with my trainer,” he says. “So far though I’ve just been putting in a lot of miles and getting my pace up, so that when we start the hard part of the season I’ll then be working on the high-end part of my fitness. I’ve been doing a lot of cycling and a little bit of racing, and I’ve had a pretty good off-season so far.”