Reigning double world champion Jorge Lorenzo believes former team-mate Ben Spies is still one of the fast🙈est riders inꦗ MotoGP.

While Lorenzo rode to six wins and 16 podiums last year, Spies was tormented by incidents, accidents, technical problems and finally injury during a miserable 😼second year at the factory M1 team.

Seven time ℱchampion Valentino Rossi has returned alongside Lorenzo for 2013, but🌳 for the Spaniard it is a case of one talented team-mate being replaced by another.

After Honda's Dani Pedrosa had commented that the ꦗarrival of Marc Marquez "is not a big change because I've always had g🌠ood team-mates", Lorenzo added:

"In theory for me it is the same, because I understand that Ben Spies is a great rider. Just he didn't feel great last season, but I believe he is one o🐽f the fas🙈test riders in MotoGP."

2011 race winner Spies, who announced he was leaving Yamaha midway through last season, ended up tenth in the standings with a best result of fourth. The Texan has joined Pramac Ducati, for whom he will make his race debut on Sunday, 🥃a🌼lthough the shoulder injury that brought an early end to the 2012 season is yet to fully heal.