Fantasy Superbike Racing

With just four rounds remaining in the 2010 World Superbike Championship and with Silverstone right around the corner, it’s time to get those Fantasy Superbike picks dialed in before it’s too late. Current championship leader Max Biaggi is crushing the competition with a 68-point lead, but recent qualifying runs at Silverstone reveal Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow and Honda’s Jonathan Rea to be the fastest. Will Biaggi win again? Can Suzuki’s Leon Haslam pull off his first double victory of the season? These are all good points to consider while making fantasy selections for the upcoming round and to help further, here’s a nifty recap on how some riders have been performing lately.
 
Sure Things:
A-Riders
 
Max Biaggi - 'Mad Max' has been an unstoppable force this year. Back in the beginning of the season he scored double victories at Portimao and Monza, and recently he continued his domination by taking more wins at Miller Raceway and Misano. As mentioned above, Biaggi has a 68-point lead in the series and is fresh off a Race 2 victory at Brno. It will take a lot to stop the Roman Emperor in his quest for the 2010 championship title, and it’s a lot to ask of his rivals this late in the season. The Italian rider is clearly the favorite heading into Round 10 in Great Britain, but at this point in the game many players have maxed out their picks for Biaggi. If you do still have the option, Biaggi is as close to a guarantee as you can get.

Jonathan Rea – The most recent evidence at Silverstone shows Honda Ten Kate’s Jonathan Rea to be one of the strongest competitors at the Silverstone circuit. Rea topped the charts during practice on Friday and took a close second to Cal Crutchlow during qualifying. Proving himself as a rider who’s learning the new Silverstone circuit quickly, Rea is also the only rider other than Biaggi to take a double victory this season, which he earned back in April at the Assen circuit. The Honda rider may just have the luck of the Irish in his corner this weekend, so make sure to keep him in mind while making picks.
 
B-Riders

Carlos Checa - Currently fourth in the championship with 189 points is Althea Ducati’s Carlos Checa. While his performance in the last round at Brno wasn’t anything amazing, the Spanish rider has been posting some fairly consistent rides this season, and this is evidenced by the fact that he’s currently out-performing the factory Ducati team in the series. Back at the season opener in February the satellite Ducati rider took a win at Phillip Island, and since then he’s continued being competitive by earning multiple second-place finishes. Checa has done quite a lot this season to make himself stand out, and that’s exactly why he’s on this list.
 
Troy Corser -Recently back after injury is BMW’s Corser. Although he missed the previous round in the Czech Republic, Corser’s performance prior to his injury was spot-on, with numerous top-five finishes, including a third-place in Race 2 at Monza. It’s Corser’s consistency that’s taken him to seventh-place in the championship, which the Australian is eager to defend against Michel Fabrizio.
 
Team - While the Aprilia duo of Max Biaggi and Leon Camier seem the obvious choice in this round, don’t discount the Yamaha Sterilgarda team. Not only did Crutchlow post the fastest time during qualifying, but his teammate, James Toseland, took sixth. With decent starts to the weekend, the team will also receive a boost from racing at their home circuit, so make sure to include these facts while making team picks.

Maybes:
A-Riders

Cal Crutchlow -While Crutchlow struggled in his second race at Brno, his first race was a shining example of what the 2009 World Supersport champion is capable of. At Misano he took fourth-place in Race 2, and prior to that he took third-place in the US round at Miller Motorsports Park. Currently fourth in the Superbike championship, Crutchlow remains just 14 points adrift of Rea. Look for him to make a strong push to the front in order to make some headway on the Irishman.
 
Leon Haslam –Without a doubt the biggest rival to Biaggi’s campaign this year has come from Alstare Suzuki’s Leon Haslam. Although he’s struggled lately in the last few rounds, Haslam’s pace has been competitive for the majority of the season thus far, with wins taken at Phillip Island, Valencia and most recently at Kyalami. Also in his favor is the fact that he will be racing at his home circuit, and during qualifying he ran just a tenth behind Biaggi’s pace.
 
Michel Fabrizio - Ducati’s Fabrizio recently enjoyed one of his strongest finishes of the season after coming in third-place in Race 2 at Brno. Prior to that the Italian went 4-3 during the Misano round, and it appears the factory Ducati rider has been on an upward trend in the last few contests. During qualifying at Silverstone Fabrizio took fifth in the books ahead of both BIaggi and Haslam, so it’s safe to say that he’s definitely competitive for the podium this weekend.
 
B-Riders:

Leon Camier - Another rider who seems to be on the fast track to success at the Silverstone circuit is Aprilia’s Leon Camier. The reigning British Superbike champion had a tough round in the Czech Republic, but before that the British champ secured solid results at Miller and has been a consistent top-10 finisher for most of the 2010 season. He’s currently tied for ninth-place in the series with Cruthlow, so look for him to establish breathing room in the championship by laying down some impressive laps.
 
Team - One more team you can add to the list of possible winners is Aprilia Alitalia Racing. It’s hard to go wrong with both Camier and Biaggi, and after taking fourth-and seventh on the timesheets respectively during qualifying, the duo seems poised for a great showing at the Silverstone circuit.

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