[h=2]The 2013 season so far?[/h]Of the nine races to have been staged so far across the 2013 season, Ben Spies has sat out of seven due to a mixture of shoulder and muscle injuries. Now he is now looking forward to his return to action but admits that he will be adapting a step-by-step strategy as he hits the circuit. Ben Spies "It’s been a rough year, to say the least. Now I feel good to finally be back and maybe not taking a job as commentator! I no longer having to tell the little white lies to all of the journalists than I’m ready to ride! "Now we can get on with the business and start the season properly. The last time was Mugello, so we have a lot of cobwebs to dust off. As Marquez says: step-by-step! It’s a good track to come back too, we have good memories here (including pole position for Monster Yamaha Tech3 in 2010). We’ll just try to get faster with each session and see where we can end up over the next couple of weeks." Asked to list his expectations between now and the season-ending event in Valencia, which takes place in November, Spies concluded: "Last year and the year before, we definitely had goals and we accomplished most of them. This year honestly, with the way things have gone, I don’t have any goals right now. First I have to slowly get back up to my pace and what that translates to on the Ducati I don’t know yet, because I haven’t been there yet. "I might have to set some more realistic goals for Brno and Silverstone and then see where I am in comparison with the other Ducatis. I haven’t yet pushed the thing. We will see what is possible, but I doubt battling for the podium will be possible this year unless it rains on Sunday…for now it is to just keep making steps and going forward." Spies has celebrated two podiums at Indianapolis, finishing second for Monster Yamaha Tech3 and third for Yamaha Factory Racing in 2010 and 2011, respectively. From MotoGP.com
