Texan Ben Spies is fighting a race against time in order to be fit for the Indianapolis round of the MotoGP World Championship this weekend in the United States.

Spies enjoyed his most successful race of the year at Indianapolis in 2010. The Texan rider took a scorching maiden pole position start from future teammate Jorge Lorenzo and converted it into a season best finish of second on race day for his first MotoGP podium.

But this year will see Spies enter the weekend with the pain of a trapped nerve in his neck, which has been affecting him in recent races and cut short his post-race test at Brno.

“I’m really hoping to be completely fit for this weekend,” Spies admitted. “I’ve still got some numbness in the arm but it is better than it was at Brno. We’ve been working hard to get it right and we will of course give it 100 percent as always.

“I’ve been looking forward to this race all year – it was pretty crazy last year as a rookie to take pole and a second in the race. We’re going to put on a good show for all the home fans and see what we can do.”

As part of Yamaha’s ongoing 50th Anniversay of Grand Prix racing celebrations, Yamaha Factory Racing will again run the special red and white livery at Indianapolis – the colours that Spies won with at Assen this year.