The British Moto GP takes place this weekend at Silverstone and Valentino Rossi might upset Casey Stoner
This is the second time Silverstone has hosted the British Moto GP and, while there were a few teething problems last year, the changes to the venue have been well-received by both riders and spectators on a course which encourages overtaking.
The starting line-up took something of a hit earlier in the week when Dani Pedrosa pulled out for the second week running, having also missed his home GP in Catalunya with a broken collarbone. Pedrosa had hoped to be fit to resume race-riding (he still sits fourth in the championship standings) but the clavicle break constituted his second such injury inside a year.
"It's time for me to be logical and follow what the doctors say, not what my heart says, or my desire to return," read the Spaniard's press release. In a week when Tiger Woods said something very similar on his withdrawal from the US Open, it's worth noting that even incredibly talented athletes can be undone by their sport's physical demands. Even the invincible Achilles got caught out by an arrow to the heel. Tiger has struggled to comeback from repeated knee surgeries. And every time Pedrosa goes down on his Honda, the road back becomes increasingly rocky.
However, his Repsol Honda Team won't be looking to prematurely retire him just yet. Especially when they already have Casey Stoner alongside him in the bike shed. The Australian lies in second position in the table, a mere seven points behind the defending Jorge Lorenzo, and has looked in imperious form of late. His win last Sunday in Barcelona demonstrated a clear current edge for his Honda over Lorenzo's Yamaha, and Stoner is accordingly odds-on at 1.6 to back to take this season's honours.
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Betfair market says it's a straight shoot-out between the top two for the championship and this weekend's race should provide us with a similar duel. While Lorenzo prevailed at Silverstone last year, Stoner fell victim to an uncharacteristically sluggish start from which he was never going to recover.
He should make amends this week around a track he relishes, and we should take note if he's anything bigger than even money to back before the lights go green on Sunday. After all, it's better to exploit his bike's perceived advantage over Lorenzo in the short-term, than to take a worse price on that advantage enduring till the end of the season.
If there is to be a spanner in Stoner's works, though, Valentino Rossi could be the man to throw it. The five-time premier-class world champion missed Silverstone last year after a shin-bone fracture, so he'll be keen to give his legion of British-based fans something to cheer. The Doctor, so called because of his calm and clinical dissection of his rivals, may not be in position to challenge for the championship, but he is slowly mastering the Ducati and could prove a good bet to make the podium places.
While Rossi's fame and fortune may have taken the edge off his latter-day performance, the chance to hurl his snarling machine around some iconic corners in front of a partisan crowd could stir a sleeping giant. Silverstone provides him with just that opportunity.
