So you all have signed up for Motorcycle USA’s all-new
Fantasy Racing. Specifically, you’ve all signed up for the
Fantasy Superbike 2010 game, which starts this weekend with the opening races at Phillip Island… What?! Well, there’s still time, so get signed up now and then come on back and keep reading.
Haga and Fabrizio are solid picks for the A-Rider group, but based off testing earlier this week, Ducati satellite riders like Carlos Checa (7) warrant definite B-Rider consideration.
Alright, so
now that you’ve signed up for Fantasy Superbike 2010, some helpul reminders. First, it’s
World Superbike, so make sure you pick for both Race 1 and Race 2. Second, the racing is halfway ‘round the globe in Phillip Island, so for those stateside players that means the races are Saturday, not the customary Sunday. Get your picks dialed in ASAP.
Now here are some friendly factoid nuggets to assist your picks:
Broc Parkes Injured. Not sure how many had the Echo CRS Honda pilot as one of their B-rider picks… But if they did, Parkes is a definite scratch this weekend and the foreseeable future, as the Australian broke his leg in a motocross training accident.
Ducati Dominated PI Testing when the World Superbike teams got up to speed last weekend. Based off the two-day test results, savvy players will consider tapping the Althea Ducati team and riders Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne, as both paced within the top 5 during the test (Checa fastest on Day 1, Byrne second-fastest on Day 2). Fellow B-rider pick Jakub Smrz also looked good, lapping within the top-10 and third-fastest on Day 2.
- Michel Fabrizio - he won the last SBK race in 2009, why not the first in 2010?
- Noriyuki Haga - unless he's hurt, the title favorite is always a solid pick.
- Satellite Ducatis - looked good in testing and solid B-rider selections.
- Broc Parkes - can't do too well on his back with a broken leg!
- James Toseland - wait and see if King James is up to speed first before using up your six Toseland picks, as the two-time champ should be up front at some point this season.
- Chris Vermeulen - we love Chris V, but the Kawasaki is looking like a tall order, even if he is returning home.
Michel Fabrizio was the fastest of the factory Xerox riders at the PI test, looking like a solid pick for the A-rider class. The Italian won the final race of 2009 and should he take the checkers at Phillip Island for Race 1, he will be only the third rider to claim wins at the end of one season and the beginning of another (along with Giancarlo Falappa and Carl Fogarty).
Noriyuki Haga was also lapping with the front-runners in testing and seems a safe A-Rider pick too, particularly considering his 1-2 result at Phillip Island in 2009. But do you want to burn through your some of your six Haga picks already...
Mercurial Max Biaggi figures to be a true contender on the second-season RSV4, but the Italian has a hit-or-miss history at Phillip Island in SBK. His “rookie” season in 2007 garnered impressive 3-4 results, but since then it’s been trouble with a pair of crashing DNFs in ’08 and lackluster 11-15 in ’09 after colliding with riders in both races (one of them Ben Spies, spoiling the American’s SBK racing debut).
Hannspree Honda riders Jonathan Rea and Max Neukirchner both had good results last season at PI. Rea looks like the best title hope for Honda this season, with a 5-9 byline at the Island in ’09. Neukirchner managed a surprising 2-6 result in ’09 at PI, riding at the time for Alstare Suzuki.
Leon Haslam is another rider with good fortune at Phillip Island, with a 6-3 result aboard the Stiggy Honda. Now campaigning the Alstare Suzuki vacated by Neukirchner, Haslam is an interesting pick, though players may want to see how he performs on the new ride for a round or two before tapping him out as an A-Rider pick.
How will the two-time SBK champ Toseland do at Phillip Island? We'll wait to find out before using his A-Rider picks.
both return from GP but also may warrant a wait-and-see approach. Toseland has not been on the pace aboard the Yamaha like the man he replaces (who replaced him in MotoGP), Ben Spies. The two-time SBK champ commands respect, but those six picks for King James may be better utilized later in the season. As for Vermeulen (a B-Rider in our game due to the handicap of developing the Kawasaki in 2010), the former SBK contender was a couple seconds off the pace in testing. The learning curve aboard the Kawasaki seems to outweigh any home track benefit for the Aussie, but you never know…
As for Aussie chances for a win… while none are on the short list in 2010, it’s interesting to note that 2009 was the first season since 2003 that an Australian did not win at least one of the PI races. Could former SBK powerhouse rider Troy Corser get on the rostrum with the BMW? If so, that’s a very respectable result for a B-Rider pick.
That’s all for now, keep checking back with Motorcycle USA for the latest World Superbike coverage, including insider updates from our man in the paddock. It may give you the edge this weekend.
Good luck on your picks!
