Fantasy GP Laguna Seca Hot Picks

Fantasy GP Racing

As Motorcycle USA’s Fantasy GP Racing league approaches the midpoint of the season, how many players have burned through their picks for their top riders and teams already? Ever hear the adage “Slow and steady wins the race?” With only five picks-per-rider and three picks-per-team allowed, it’s all about long-term strategy. So worry not, those who haven’t gotten off to a roaring start, there’s still plenty of opportunities to gain ground on the frontrunners.
 
The MotoGP paddock crosses the pond this week for the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix for an action-packed ninth round of premier motorcycle road racing. In the last round at Sachsenring, Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa proved that Jorge Lorenzo is indeed mortal after breaking the Fiat Yamaha rider’s three-race winning streak. Rossi returned and immediately had an impact, finishing just off the podium. LCR Honda’s Randy de Puniet crashed and burned, breaking a leg in the process. What kind of drama will unfold at the USGP? With four Americans returning to home soil this round, will one of them step up and muscle his way onto the podium? We’ll learn the answers come Sunday.

SURE THINGS:
 
A-Riders
Dani Pedrosa – Just when Lorenzo was looking untouchable, along comes Pedrosa to crash Lo’s party. The Repsol Honda rider won his second race of the season last week at Sachsenring and is reestablishing himself as “the man” in the Repsol Honda garage. He’s averaging almost 20 Fantasy Racing points-per-contest and took the checkers at Laguna Seca last year. The only demerit for Pedrosa is he has never won back-to-back races in the premier class. But streaks are meant to be broken, right? We foresee Dani P. up on the podium this weekend, we just don’t know which step he’s going to be on.

Jorge Lorenzo - Lorenzo is having a dream season. His worst finish in eight races is second. Second-place. His worst. He’s won five races and holds a 47-point advantage in the championship point race. The only reason he isn’t a shoe-in is his track record of crashing at Laguna Seca. In his rookie year, he went down on the first corner and injured his feet. Last year, he crashed twice. Of course, he still grabbed the pole position and finished on the podium, so he’s resilient enough to shake off a practice crash and still ride competitively. The world title is Lorenzo’s for the taking, so we’ll see if he captures his first victory on the famed California circuit.

B-Riders
Ben Spies – Spies has waged many an epic battle at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca against Mat Mladin racing AMA Superbikes. The American rookie will be looking to use his experience and familiarity with the famed circuit to his advantage this weekend competing in MotoGP. He will also be eager to improve on his Sachsenring results, where he finished in eighth place after a lousy qualifying session saw him starting near the back of the pack. He’s won before at Laguna Seca and could be the first American to grace the podium on US soil since 2006. Spies competed in MotoGP at Laguna in 2008 as a wild-card, where he finished eighth. Expect more from him now that he’s a GP regular.

Nicky Hayden – Hayden is a two-time GP winner at Laguna Seca, once in 2005 and again the next year when he won the World Championship. Since then, it’s been a dry spell for American riders at their home GP. Hayden, like Spies, has plenty of history racing at Laguna Seca and will be competing in the contest with his brother, Roger Lee, who is subbing for the injured Randy de Puniet. Hayden is still the highest Fantasy Point earner in the B-Rider group at 9.8 per-contest and we like his chances to earn Fantasy players at least that much this weekend.

Team – Monster Tech 3 Yamaha. If you’re like us, you’ve already used all your picks for at least one team, and it’s the team picks that are making the difference in the standings right now. We’ll wager just about everyone has a Monster Tech 3 Yamaha pick to burn, and with two American riders on the team competing on a track they are both very familiar with, this weekend is probably the best opportunity for the ‘home team’ to pick up some points. Spies and Edwards, don’t let us down boys.

MAYBES:

A-Riders
Valentino Rossi – The defending World Champion showed plenty of moxie in Sachsenring by coming back from a broken leg after only five weeks to not only ride, but to ride competitively. He’s still on the mend, but his fourth-place showing last week has given him confidence that he still has the skills to win any time he climbs on a motorcycle. He won a thrilling race in 2008 at Laguna Seca after a memorable battle with Casey Stoner and finished second there in 2009. Will he be limber enough to shift around the bike when he hits the ‘Corkscrew?’ Something tells us he will, so look for The Doctor to battle to one of the three podium spots this weekend.

Casey Stoner – After a slow start to the season, Stoner has put himself on the podium in the last three rounds. Of course, he hasn’t won a race yet, which is surprising, but he’s definitely starting to find his groove. Stoner won at Laguna Seca during his championship run of 2007 and waged a memorable battle with Rossi in 2008 where The Doctor made an incredible inside pass on the Corkscrew to take the lead. Stoner would eventually go down in a gravel trap but was still able to get up and finish second in that race. He’s riding relaxed and confident and will earn you some points given you haven’t burned through all your Casey Stoner picks yet.
 
B-Riders:
Marco Simoncelli – Simoncelli posted his best results of the MotoGP season in the last round at Sachsenring and continues to improve with every race. He’s been climbing the Fantasy Racing points-per-race chart, too, and along with Spies is the cream of the GP rookie crop. Being a former 250cc World Champion, he’s accustomed to winning races and though sixth at the ‘Ring is a step in the right direction, don’t expect SuperMarco’s progression to stop there. A definite top ten contender and point scorer.

Team – Fiat Yamaha. Lorenzo is the man-to-beat and Rossi is, well, Rossi. Together they form the most formidable duo in MotoGP. They are certain to secure you Fantasy Racing points as both will likely be on the podium this weekend. The only drawback is you might not have a Fiat Yamaha pick left or if you only have one you might want to wait and let Rossi get closer to full-strength again. Or you might say to hell with it all and go all-in with Fiat Yamaha.

SCRATCH:

Randy de Puniet – After a flaming crash in Sachsenring on Lap 9 left the French rider with a broken left tibia and fibula, de Puniet is out for a few races. Nicky Hayden’s brother, Roger Lee, will be taking his place on the LCR Honda team for the American GP, but Roger Lee is not on the list.

Aleix Espargaro – Esparago was one of the victims of de Puniet’s wreck last week when he couldn’t avoid the carnage. It wasn’t known whether he was going to be able to race at all after doctors suspected he may have fractured his C7 vertebra. He banged up his right wrist and neck, too, and as a rookie has never competed at Laguna Seca. He’s going to race, but at what level of competitiveness is the question.


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