Illness bugs Ben Spies at Mugello

Ben Spies says he had to do everything he could so as not to 'be sick in his helmet' after developing suspected food poisoning ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

The American began the race ninth on the grid, but it was soon clear that he wasn't performing at his best when he slipped back into the clutches of CRT riders Randy de Puniet and Mattia Pasini.

Eventually salvaging five points with an 11th place finish, Spies revealed his lack of pace was down to a bug he had picked up earlier in the day, an ailment that he says was making him feel dizzy and physically sick whilst he was racing.

"I'm so disappointed, not just for me but for my whole team and Yamaha who have worked so hard this weekend. I was feeling really not right from before warm up this morning and it just got worse over the day.

"I was struggling to put three laps together at a time in the race and fighting waves of dizziness and trying not be physically sick in my helmet. Clinica Mobile did their best to help me before the race but it was a huge challenge to focus on the bike at the speeds we do."

Another blow for Spies in what has been a horrid second season with the factory Yamaha team, the former World Superbike Champion is tenth in the standings, 42 points behind Andrea Dovizioso on the satellite Tech 3 Yamaha.