MotoGP.Com Fantasy Game : How to Play

Playing is simple, but firstly you must be a registered motogp.com user to play the game. Once you are registered and logged in, go to the 'Play Now' section and predict the order in which you think the first 15 riders across the line at the next MotoGP race will finish in.

To make your prediction follow the simple instructions in the Play Now section. You can change your prediction up to 15 minutes before the start of the relevant MotoGP race.

Whoever scores the most points at each round wins MotoGP Grandstand race tickets for the Grand Prix of their choice. Points from each round contribute to your overall score throughout the season, with the final winner in the general Fantasy MotoGP 2009 standings winning a Yamaha JogRR MotoGP bike. There are also great prizes for runner-up and third place overall as explained in our Prizes section.

You will be awarded points for each of your riders who finishes in the top fifteen. The points are distributed in the following way:

You will always receive points for a lower position if that is where your rider ends up. If your rider finishes higher than you predicted you will only receive the points for the position in which you thought he would finish, whereas if a rider finishes below where you predicted you only receive the points related to his actual final position.

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Niccolo Canepa's Profile

• Bike No.: 88
• Born:
• Place of birth: Genova
• Nationality: Italian
• Weight:
• Height:
• Class: MotoGP
• Team: Pramac Racing Ducati

Background

MotoGP rookie Niccolo Canepa is Ducati’s homegrown representative in the premier class for 2009, continuing the factory’s tradition of running at least one Italian rider in the category. The debutant is not merely making up the numbers, however, as he has proved to be a speedy competitor with the Desmosedici during his time as a test rider.

Coming from a racing family, with his father a former rider, Canepa began his career on the national minibike scene at the age of eleven, taking numerous victories. Three years later, on the day following his fourteenth birthday, he became the youngest participant to date to ride in the Coppa Italia 600 Superstock series, with the bigger bikes becoming his speciality over the next two years. During this time he competed in several Supersport races in the international series.

Carrier Highlights

In 2006 the Genoa-born rider finished second in the European Superstock Championship with the Ducati Xerox Junior Team, despite missing the final races of the campaign through injury. This was followed by a title victory in the eleven-round FIM Superstock 1000 Superstock Cup.

Canepa’s relationship with Ducati continued into 2007, when he took over from Shinichi Ito as the factory’s test rider. In addition, he competed as a wildcard on a superbike to keep in race shape.

The Alice Team garage is his new home for the 2009 campaign, joining Mika Kallio as both undertake their first MotoGP campaign.

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Mika Kallio's Profile

• Place of birth: Valkeakoski
• Date of birth: November 8, 1982
• Nationality : Finland
• Weight: 56Kg.
• Height: 165cm.
• Residence Town: Monaco
• Class: MotoGP
• Team: Pramac Racing Ducati

Carrier Highlights

A newcomer to MotoGP with the Alice Team, Mika Kallio leaves behind a successful apprenticeship in the lower cylinder categories, although he was never quite able to take a world title.

His father was a top-level rider, and it was this influence that stopped him from following in the four-wheeled footsteps of some of his country's more famous sportsmen such as Hakkinen and Makinen.

Kallio won the 125cc Finish Championship for three consecutive years and has also been the national 'ice-bike' champion, a discipline which uses specially adapted motocross bikes on a frozen road racing track before taking fifth overall in the European Championship in 2001.

The same year he made his World Championship debut in Germany and earned a full time ride with the Ajo Motorsport team for the next season, in which he was the best rookie in 11th overall. The following year he also took 11th in the Championship, with his first podium in Sepang, having joined the new KTM team midway through the season.

Two years of success with KTM in 125cc gave him the runner-up spot in both 2005 and 2006, but despite the departure of previous World Champions Thomas Luthi and Alvaro Bautista he opted himself for a move up to 250cc. In his debut season in the quarter-litre class he won races in Japan and Valencia, and became a firm contender for the title in 2008.

A sterling start to his final campaign in 250cc put Kallio firmly in the driving seat, but a further two wins were not enough to deny Marco Simoncelli the title as the Finn´s form dipped. He now attempts to get to grips with the Desmosedici GP9 Sat as part of a more factory-supported Ducati satellite team, in his MotoGP debut.

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Jorge Lorenzo's Profile

• Bike No.: 48
• Date of Birth: May 4, 1987
• Place of Birth: Mallorca, Spain
• Nationality: Spanish
• Height: 170 cm
• Weight: 55 kg
• Marital Status: Single
• Hobbies: Music, videogames, internet
• Total Races: 111 (17 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
• Victories: 22 (1 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
• Pole Positions: 30 (4 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
• Podiums: 44 (6 x MotoGP, 29 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)
• Wins: 2 (250cc, 2006/2007)
• First Grand Prix: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)

Background

20-year old Jorge Lorenzo joins the Fiat Yamaha Team for the 2008 season as double 250cc World Champion, having won the title for the past two years with Aprilia.

Lorenzo was born on the Balearic island of Mallorca, Spain on 4th May 1987. He began riding motorbikes at home at the tender age of three and within months of taking to two wheels was competing in his first minicross races. In 1995, aged eight, he won the Balearic title and followed that up the following year by taking the Island’s minicross, trial, minimoto and junior motocross titles.

Lorenzo graduated to road racing and national competition in 1997 and it didn’t take him long to adjust, winning the Aprilia 50cc Cup in 1998. Despite officially being too young, a special dispensation in 2000 allowed him to compete in the Spanish 125cc series at the age of 13 and he made history the following year when competing in Europe and becoming the youngest ever winner of a European 125cc race.

The precocious teenager, once again showing that age was no limit to a quick rise up the ranks of motorbike racing, made his first foray onto the world stage with Derbi at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez in 2002, the third round of the season. He did not reach the legal age of 15 until Saturday and therefore missed the first day of practice but was unfazed by this and impressed the paddock by qualifying for the race, cementing his position in the World Championship over the course of the season as he got to grips with the circuits.

The young Mallorcan came of age the following season, winning his first 125cc Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro and then going on to win three more races the following season, finishing fourth in 2004 and taking his podium tally to nine before making the step up the quarter-litre class and switching to Honda machinery. Six podium finishes and four pole positions in his rookie 250cc season sealed fifth in the championship and, with a move to the Aprilia factory team, 2006 was widely expected to be his defining year.

Lorenzo indeed surpassed all expectations in 2006, dominating the class with eight wins and a record-equalling ten poles, clinching his first world title convincingly. 2007 saw more of the same and an incredible nine pole positions saw him win from every single one of them, claiming his second world title at the penultimate round in Sepang. He also became the most successful 250cc Spanish rider of all time in the process.

2008 sees Lorenzo make the step up to MotoGP with Yamaha, where he will partner Valentino Rossi in the Fiat Yamaha Team. A colourful character, Lorenzo has a fondness for exuberant post-race celebrations, which make him a popular figure with the fans. His nickname 'X Fuera', is an allusion to his flamboyant outside overtaking style.


Career Highlights

2009:
Fiat Yamaha Team, MotoGP World Championship

2008:
4th, MotoGP World Championship

2007:
250cc World Champion

2006:
250cc World Champion

2005:
5th, 250cc World Championship

2004:
4th, 125cc World Championship

2003:
12th, 125cc World Championship

2002:
21st, 125cc World Championship

READ MORE - Jorge Lorenzo's Profile

Chris Vermeulen's Profile

• Bike No.: 7
• Team: Rizla Suzuki Motorsports
  
• Place of Birth: Brisbane, Australia
• Date of Birth: June 19, 1982
• Nationality: Australian
• Home Town: Yandina, Sunshine Coast, Queensland
• Marital Status: Single
• Eyes: Hazel
• Car: 1954 Ford F150 Hot Rod, 1928 Hopmobile Hot Rod& 1957 Buick - and a Suzuki Grand Vitara
• Motorcycle: Suzuki RM250, DRZ125, VZR1800 abd the Suzuki GSV-R
• Favourite Food: Italian, Pizza and Pasta
• Favourite Drink: Ice Break Iced Coffee
• Favourite Film: American Grafiti
• Favourite Music: AC/DC, Metallica, Rammstein, etc
• Ideal Holiday: Sunshine Coast, Australia
• First Race: 1988, Motocross
• Racing hero: Wayne Rainey and Mick Doohan
• Favourite Sports: Motorsports, Training & Surfing

Career Highlights

2007:
Sixth in MotoGP World Championship. First ever MotoGP victory. Three podiums and one pole position.

2006:
11th place overall in first full MotoGP season. First MotoGP podium (second in Australia). Two MotoGP pole positions (Turkey and USA). Eight top 10 finishes.

2005:
First MotoGP race at Phillip Island, Australia. World Superbike Championship runner-up - six victories.

2004:
World Superbike Championship - fourth place. Four victories.

2003:
World Supersport Champion. Four victories, four runners-up places, three pole-positions. Youngest ever WSS Champion.

2002:
World Supersport Championship -seventh. Two pole-positions, two podium finishes.

2001:
World Supersport Championship. 17th place. Three top 10 finishes.

2000:
World Supersport debut - best finish sixth.European Superstock debut - one win.British Supersport and Superstock Championships. First Supersport win. Five Superstock race wins.

1999:
Australian Superbike Championship - Privateer Champion.

1998:
Began Road racing. Two race wins on 250cc GP machine.

1993-1997:
Dirt Track racing. 10 State titles. National runner-up three times

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Loris Capirossi's Profile

• Bike No. : 65
• Team: Rizla Suzuki Motorsports
  
• Place of Birth: Castel San Pietro Terme, Bologna
• Date of Birth: April 4, 1973
• Nationality: Italian
• Home Town: Bologna, Italy
• Marital Status: Married to Ingrid with one son Riccardo
• Eyes: Blue
• Car: Suzuki Gran Vitara, Seat Leon Cupra, Lancia Delta R20 and two Ford Hot Rods from 1931 and 1934
• Motorcycle: Suzuki GSV-R
• Favourite Food: Italian, Pizza, Pasta and Ice Cream
• Favourite Drink: Water and Good Wine
• Favourite Film: Any Action Movie
• Favourite Music: Italian Singers, Pop Music and Country
• Ideal Holiday: By the sea with hot weather
• First Race: 1987 Road Racing Trophy Race in Maggione, Italy
• Racing hero: Fausto Gresini
• Favourite Sports: Everything with an engine

Career Highlights:

2007:
7th place overall. One victory and three podiums

2006:
Third place overall. Three victories, five podiums and two pole positions

2005:
Sixth place with two victories, two podiums and three pole positions

2004:
Ninth place in MotoGP World Championship

2003:
Fourth place with one win and five podiums

2002:
First season in MotoGP. Eighth overall with two podiums

2001:
Third in final season in 500cc Championship. Nine podiums and four poles

2000:
Returns to 500cc. One win and three podiums for seventh in the Championship

1999:
Final season in 250cc class. Finishes third with three wins and six podiums

1998:
250cc World Champion. Two wins, seven podiums and eight pole positions

1997:
Returns to 250cc and finishes sixth in the Championship.

1996:
First victory in 500cc class. 10th overall

1995:
Debut season in 500cc World Championship. Sixth position in final standings

1994:
Third in 250cc class. Four wins, five podiums and five pole positions

1993:
Runner-up in 250cc World Championship. Three wins, four podiums and seven pole positions

1992:
Debut season in 250cc Championship. 12th overall

1991:
Consecutive 125cc World Titles. Five wins, seven podiums, five pole positions

1990:
World Champion in 125cc Grand Prix debut season. Youngest-ever title winner. Three victories and five podiums

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Valentino Rossi's Profile

• Bike No. : 46
• Team: Fiat Yamaha Team
• Date of birth: February 16, 1979
• Place of birth: Urbino, Italy
• Nationality: Italian
• Residence: London, UK
• Height: 182 cm
• Weight: 67 kg
• Marital Status: Single
• Hobbies: Soccer, radio-controlled toys
• Total Races GP starts: 210 (150 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
• Victories: 97 (71 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
• Pole Positions: 51 (41 x 500cc/MotoGP, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
• Podiums: 151 (115 x 500cc/MotoGP, 21 x 250cc, 15 x 125cc)
• Wins: 8 (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 5 x MotoGP)
• First Race: 1991
• First Grand Prix: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
• First Pole: 1996

Career Highlights

2009:
Fiat Yamaha Team, MotoGP World Championship

2008:
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION

2007:
3rd, MotoGP World Championship

2006:
2nd, MotoGP World Championship

2005:
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION

2004:
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION

2003:
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION

2002:
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION

2001:
500 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION

2000:
2nd, 500 MotoGP World Championship

1999:
250 GP WORLD CHAMPION

1998:
2nd, 250 MotoGP World Championship

1997:
125 GP WORLD CHAMPION

1996:
9th, 125 MotoGP World Championship

1995:
125cc Italian Champion

1994:
125cc Italian Sports Production Champion

1993:
3rd - 125cc Italian Sports Production Championship

1992:
Regional Minimoto Champion

1991:
4th - Italian Junior Go-Kart Championship

1990:
Regional Go-Kart Championship - 9 wins

1989:
First Go-Kart Race

READ MORE - Valentino Rossi's Profile