Jorge Lorenzo's season is hopping right along, winner of six and poised to become the first ever rider to finish either first or second in the season-opening 10 Grand Prix. There are no fantasy point deductions for tacky celebration get-ups.
The second half of the
MotoGP season gets underway this weekend with Round 10 at Brno, which means
Fantasy GP Racing picks dwindling every week. Burned through your Jorge Lorenzo picks already? Don’t know who’ll step up this weekend? Well, we’re doing a thoroughly mediocre job with our fantasy pics this year, so here’s our advice!
A-Riders
Sure Things: Jorge Lorenzo, of course, heads the list. So far his worst showing this season has been a horrendous second-place… Winner of six out of nine there’s no stopping the points leader, but wise folks that we are you can’t pick him all season.
Valentino Rossi should be back to form as well, improving his fitness following a hurried return from a broken leg. Brno may not be Rossi’s return to winning form, but a podium seems routine.
As for
Casey Stoner, the Aussie seems to be getting back to a consistent podium pace as his swan song with Ducati hits the second half.
Maybes: Dani Pedrosa could win at Brno, but his DNF while leading the USGP has us a little spooked. The Repsol rider had a shot to close the gap on Lorenzo, but instead put his title hopes on hold for yet another season.
Teammate
Andrea Dovizioso continues to display results befitting the top position amongst Honda riders, yet hasn’t managed a win this season and hasn’t found the podium for quite some time.
Pass: Colin Edwards must be checking his watch waiting for his GP shift to end, as this season’s Tech 3 efforts have met with struggles for top-10 form.
B-Riders
Sure Things: There’re three guys heading the B-Rider class, including two Americans –
Nicky Hayden and
Ben Spies. First up is Hayden, with the 2006 MotoGP champ almost always gathering some decent points, but still missing that first podium of the year. Still the Kentucky Kid usually finishes higher than he starts on raceday, so a good qualifying will be a hint as to Hayden’s fortunes on Sunday.
Team America MotoGP style... Ben Spies is the clear rookie of the year, with Nicky Hayden a consistent top-five threat. But can either rider start forcing their way onto the podium?
As for
Ben Spies the Texan is a top-five regular and now represents the best B-rider in the fantasy paddock. The third man standing out in the B-riders being
Randy de Puniet…
Maybes: Mr. De Puniet gets "maybe" status by virtue of his mangled leg. The LCR Honda rider suffered a tib-fib fracture causing him to miss Laguna Seca. Rushing back from injury the Frenchman claims he’s confident about Brno after recent testing, but his return is still pending medical clearance.
Loris Capirossi isn’t happy at Suzuki, but the MotoGP vet still has some top-10s in his bag as the career winds down. Capirex runs well at Brno too, including a podium with Suzuki in 2008.
The Gresini Honda duo of
Marco Simoncelli and
Marco Melandri are the next best points getters in the B-rider field. Hopefully you’ll pick ‘em when they earn a higher-than-average placing.
Pass: The GP paddock is so sparse there’s not much to choose from, so start scraping the barrel bottom as the season heads downhill. The good news is even the most woeful backmarker stands a good chance at grabbing some token points, all they need to do is finish! Get lucky and some well-picked top 10s could make the difference.
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