diff --git a/tests/periph_spi/main.c b/tests/periph_spi/main.c
index e23b154c51..adb9d7f919 100644
--- a/tests/periph_spi/main.c
+++ b/tests/periph_spi/main.c
@@ -94,6 +94,11 @@ static xtimer_ticks32_t _sched_ticks(void)
     return runtime_ticks;
 }
 
+static uint32_t _xtimer_diff_usec(xtimer_ticks32_t stop, xtimer_ticks32_t start)
+{
+    return xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(stop, start));
+}
+
 void print_bytes(char* title, uint8_t* data, size_t len)
 {
     printf("%4s\n", title);
@@ -306,8 +311,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf(" 1 - write %i times %i byte:", BENCH_REDOS, 1);
     printf("\t\t\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -322,8 +326,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf(" 2 - write %i times %i byte:", BENCH_REDOS, BENCH_SMALL);
     printf("\t\t\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -338,8 +341,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf(" 3 - write %i times %i byte:", BENCH_REDOS, BENCH_LARGE);
     printf("\t\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -354,8 +356,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf(" 4 - write %i times %i byte to register:", BENCH_REDOS, 1);
     printf("\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -370,8 +371,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf(" 5 - write %i times %i byte to register:", BENCH_REDOS, BENCH_SMALL);
     printf("\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -386,8 +386,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf(" 6 - write %i times %i byte to register:", BENCH_REDOS, BENCH_LARGE);
     printf("\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -402,8 +401,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf(" 7 - read %i times %i byte:", BENCH_REDOS, BENCH_SMALL);
     printf("\t\t\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -418,8 +416,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf(" 8 - read %i times %i byte:", BENCH_REDOS, BENCH_LARGE);
     printf("\t\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -434,8 +431,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf(" 9 - read %i times %i byte from register:", BENCH_REDOS, BENCH_SMALL);
     printf("\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -450,8 +446,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf("10 - read %i times %i byte from register:", BENCH_REDOS, BENCH_LARGE);
     printf("\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -466,8 +461,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf("11 - transfer %i times %i byte:", BENCH_REDOS, BENCH_SMALL);
     printf("\t\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -482,8 +476,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf("12 - transfer %i times %i byte:", BENCH_REDOS, BENCH_LARGE);
     printf("\t\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -498,8 +491,7 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf("13 - transfer %i times %i byte to register:", BENCH_REDOS, BENCH_SMALL);
     printf("\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
@@ -514,13 +506,31 @@ int cmd_bench(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     stop = xtimer_now_usec();
     sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
-    sched_diff_us = xtimer_usec_from_ticks(xtimer_diff(sched_stop,
-                                                       sched_start));
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
     printf("14 - transfer %i times %i byte to register:", BENCH_REDOS, BENCH_LARGE);
     printf("%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
     sum += (stop - start);
     sched_sum += sched_diff_us;
 
+    /* 15 - release & acquire the bus 1000 times */
+    sched_start = _sched_ticks();
+    start = xtimer_now_usec();
+    for (int i = 0; i < BENCH_REDOS; i++) {
+        spi_release(spiconf.dev);
+        if (spi_acquire(spiconf.dev, spiconf.cs, spiconf.mode, spiconf.clk) != SPI_OK) {
+            puts("ERROR - spi_acquire() failed.");
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+    stop = xtimer_now_usec();
+    sched_stop = _sched_ticks();
+    sched_diff_us = _xtimer_diff_usec(sched_stop, sched_start);
+    printf("15 - acquire/release %i times:\t\t", BENCH_REDOS);
+    printf("%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", (stop - start), sched_diff_us);
+    sum += (stop - start);
+    sched_sum += sched_diff_us;
+
+
     xtimer_sleep(1);
 
     printf("-- - SUM:\t\t\t\t\t%"PRIu32"\t%"PRIu32"\n", sum, sched_sum);