Following a well-deserved break, the MotoGP™ riders return to the tarmac this weekend with Valencia set to play host to the Gran Premio de Europa. It is the first of a double in the south-eastern Spanish city and kicks-off the final triple header of the season, with everything still to play for in the World Championship.
Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) managed to extend his lead in the overall standings in Aragon, but his advantage is far from secure with no less than five other riders still in with a realistic chance of taking the 2020 crown. It all makes for an interesting watch over the next three weekends, but how will it affect MotoGP™ Fantasy ahead of Round 13?
Transfers In
Fresh from success in Aragon, managers have restored the faith in Franco Morbidelli as he tops the Transfers In this week. A masterclass from the Italian meant he secured a second victory of the season, meaning he is only one of two to secure multiple race wins in 2020, with his Petronas SRT teammate Fabio Quartararo the other with three.
Fresh from success in Aragon, managers have restored the faith in Franco Morbidelli as he tops the Transfers In this week. A masterclass from the Italian meant he secured a second victory of the season, meaning he is only one of two to secure multiple race wins in 2020, with his Petronas SRT teammate Fabio Quartararo the other with three.
He accounts for 27% of transfer activity with managers hoping for a repeat performance in Circuito de Ricardo Tormo, however, it comes with a caveat, as Morbidelli has never finished a premier class race in Valencia. We have to go back to his title winning Moto2™ days in 2017 to see him do so, where he secured a spot on the podium. Many will be hoping for a repeat performance this weekend.
Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) is a rider in red hot form, securing a race win and podium finishes in three of his last four races, and it could have been even better if not for the wet weather madness in the French GP. Accounting for 17.9% of transfers, he looks an excellent choice for a gold rider this weekend once you combine his recent form with his history at this track. Not since 2012, when he rode in Moto3™, has he finished outside the Top 5 in Valencia.
The Spaniard averages 21.8 points for each Grand Prix and has taken 134 points in the last five weekends of racing, tallies only bettered by his Suzuki colleague Joan Mir, who incidentally, is the third most brought in rider of the round.
Mir is 14 points clear atop the Championship Standings and he is also top of the pile in MotoGP™ Fantasy stats, with 253 points overall, 147 of those have come in the last five Grand Prix, and an average of 23 points per weekend, nobody has performed better this season. He has been Mr Consistency with some brilliant race day performances, however, he remains winless in the premier class and the Mallorcan will hope to finally break that duck on a track where he took a podium finish on his way to securing the Moto3™ Championship in 2017.
Another Moto3™ World Champion sees himself inside the Top 5 most transferred in riders, with Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) also showing promising form in the tail end of the Championship. Despite crashing out of a race for the first time this season in the previous round, he has earned 133 fantasy points in his last five Grand Prix with the Rookie of the Year contender hoping to continue his fine form in Valencia.
Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) has overseen dramatic improvements on his factory RC-16 this season, securing three podium finishes and a constant presence inside the Top 10, he rounds out the Top 5 picks this week. With 92 points from his last five Grand Prix, can he earn another fourth rostrum finish of 2020 at the track where he took his first in MotoGP™?
Transferred Out
It was nothing short of a disaster for Ducati in the Aragon double, with their GP-20s struggling throughout both weekends, leaving Andrea Dovizioso’s (Ducati Team) Championship hopes hanging on by a thread as he failed to crack the Top 6 on either occasion. Consequently, he is the most transferred out rider ahead of the next round with many MotoGP™ Fantasy managers feeling the Italian hasn’t shown enough form to stick with him.
Championship contender Fabio Quartararo is the second most transferred out rider with the Frenchman’s poor form during the last triple header enough to convince managers make a change going into Valencia, a track where he finished second last season in his rookie year.
Dovi isn’t the only Ducati to feature here, with Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia also being left out in favour of more in-form riders. It’s been a mixed bag this season for Miller, with some promising early season form hampered by a series of unfortunate events that have led to early retirements in three of his last six races, while Bagnaia has failed to rediscover the Misano magic that saw him competing for victory in the Italian double.
Maverick Viñales is the other name to feature in the most Transferred Out, despite consistently finishing inside the Top 10 this season, his failure to build on promising one lap pace in Qualifying is costing him his place in MotoGP™ Fantasy teams. On a track where he has tasted victory in the lower classes, will he spring a surprise this weekend?
Factory Favourites
Yamaha have been the popular choice all season and they remain the most owned team in MotoGP™ Fantasy while Ducati's decline continues as they are once again the most transferred out constructor, but managers feel the Suzuki threat is real as they once again top the transfers in this week. Will we see yet another Hamamatsu double on the podium this weekend?
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