Fantasy GP Catalunya Hot Picks

Fantasy MotoGP Racing

The MotoGP paddock kicks into high gear with the third race in as many weeks. Montmelo is the second Spanish contest of the season and is a race some of the top contenders consider their home race. Catalunya 2009 showcased one of the most exciting battles of the year when Valentino Rossi and teammate Jorge Lorenzo traded positions several times on the last lap with Rossi ultimately making an inside move on the last turn to edge by Lorenzo at the line. Will Round 7 of the 2010 MotoGP season be as compelling?

SURE THINGS:

A-Riders
Jorge Lorenzo – Jorge is making our job easy. Two victories in a row, four wins in six races, he set the fastest time in the first practice session and is competing on what he considers to be his home track. Without Rossi around to keep him in check, Lorenzo is running away with things. He’s the safest bet, but remember, it’s a long season and you can only check each rider’s box five times, so be judicious with your selections.

Dani Pedrosa – Pedrosa always rides well in Spain. Call it home-field advantage, call it rising to the occasion, whatever you want to refer to it as, the feisty Spaniard always puts on a show for the home crowd. He ran a solid race last week, finishing on the podium in second place. Pedrosa also won at Catalunya in 2008 at his home track, so if you want to save a Lorenzo pick for a later date, Pedrosa is the next sure thing.
 
B-Riders
Ben Spies - The American rookie backed up his first podium in Silverstone with a fourth-place effort last week at Assen. In the first practice session at Catalunya, he made a late run to shoot up the timesheets to fifth place. Granted, the Spanish circuit is a new track for the GP rookie, but new tracks don’t seem to affect Spies much, who demonstrated in World Superbike last year that he’s got a fast learning curve. He’s far and above the cream of the rookie crop and will be fighting for the podium again this weekend.

Nicky Hayden – The Kentucky Kid seems to have come to grips with the Desmosedici GP10. “I’m more comfortable on the bike, more so than I was last year. But you always want more. This year’s bike is physically a lot easier for me to ride,” Hayden said on the MotoGP.com website. He’s finished fourth in four races and should have been on the podium in Silverstone. He’ll have to fight hard to get that elusive 2010 podium finish, but he has ridden consistently and has been avoiding the big crash.

Team – Repsol Honda. Pedrosa will be on the podium this weekend, barring an accident. His teammate, Andrea Dovizioso, has put up positive results this year, and with Rossi out of the picture, the Repsol Honda duo is the tandem most likely to finish highest on the timesheets.

MAYBES:
Casey Stoner – The factory Ducati rider finally found his way back on the podium steps this year. He finished second-fastest in the first practice session at Catalunya and looks to be regaining some of the form that made him a world champion. With all the speculation floating around about the Ducati team next year, Stoner has more incentive than ever to show everybody what he’s capable of. Look for the Australian rider to put out the extra effort this weekend and prove that he’s still one of the best riders in the world.

Andrea Dovizioso - Dovizioso has given the Repsol Honda team a potent one-two punch this season. He’s podiumed several times and trails Pedrosa for second place in the MotoGP championship point standings by only four points. His worst finish in six races has been sixth place. He’s almost certain to score you some points, the only question is how many.

B-Riders:
Randy De Puniet - The Frenchman has been one of the strongest privateers this season racing as the lone rider for the LCR Honda MotoGP team. He’s locked up the sixth-position in four of six races this season and hasn’t finished out of the top ten. De Puniet generally battles with the leaders early in the race before the factory riders separate from the pack. He’s still put up the second-best average among the B-Riders with 9.3 points-per-race.

Marco Simoncelli – The San Carlo Gresini Honda rookie continues to show promise as the season progresses. He fought his way to seventh at Silverstone and finished in the top ten at Assen as well. After Spies, Simoncelli has been the other bright spot of the 2010 MotoGP rookie class and has the potential to keep creeping up the leaderboard.
Team – Marlboro Ducati. Stoner is starting to come around and Hayden’s performance this season has been a pleasant surprise. As a team, they’re about an even bet with Repsol Honda. Remember though, you only get three team picks in an 18-race season, so at some point you’re going to have to go for an underdog.

Scratch:
Marco Melandri - The San Carlo Gresini Honda rider missed the last round after dislocating his shoulder during a highside crash in the second practice session at Assen. It was the second consecutive race the Italian rider crashed out of, and despite rehabilitation efforts, Melandri will have to fight through the pain to compete. Through in the toll three races in three weeks takes and we suggest keeping Melandri off your list of choices this week.

Alvaro Bautista - Another of the walking wounded. Bautista is on the mend from his own shoulder injury and arm injury. He crashed again in the first practice session in Catalunya, so competing this weekend is going to be an uphill battle. Besides, the Suzukis haven’t demonstrated the ability to keep pace with the rest of the paddock so far this season.
 
The second free practice session is tomorrow morning, followed by qualifying in the afternoon. The deadline to choose your riders is July 4 at 3:00 a.m. (PDT), so be sure to get your picks in ASAP.



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