If you’re into motorcycle racing, nothing is more exciting than Moto GP. These are the fastest bikes and most elite riders in the world, with absolute hair-raising competition. Typically, the best betting sites for Moto GP racing are those that focus more on European sports. Many of the sites that accept U.S. handicappers don’t offer Moto GP betting, and if they do, they tend to offer a limited variety of betting options.
How to Bet on Moto GP at Sports Betting Sites
For Moto GP, it’s all about winning. Most people who bet on this sport bet on individual race winners and the Riders World Championship, although there are other ways to bet as well. There are Top 3 (podium) and prop bets as well.
Moto GP Individual Race Winners
In most Moto GP seasons, only a few riders will win races. This makes it a lot easier to pick winners, but to make a profit picking winners, it’s absolutely critical to get the best odds. Punters need to shop all of the top betting sites to make sure they’re getting every penny they can. Over the course of a season, a few small advantages on wins can add up.
Favourites usually come in around 1.75 to 2.1, and other top riders will have odds up to 5.00.
Top 3 Finishers (Podiums)
In Top 3 bets, punters have to choose a rider who they think will finish on the podium. Since most podiums go to the same five or six guys all year long, these are easy bets to win. The key to making money however, is finding the best odds. Punters need to compare Top 3 odds at several online betting sites and get every tick available.
I tend to eliminate the rider with the shortest odds, then find another rider that I think has the best chance at a podium. Then, I find the best odds I can on that rider.
Moto GP Futures Bets
Most online betting sites that offer Moto GP betting also offer futures bets for the Riders World Championship. In this type of bet, a punters job is to decide who will end the season with the most points. Futures bets are fun to follow if you have a rider who is in the hunt late in the season. However, if a different rider starts the season off with a string of victories, it can be tough to watch your bet go down in flames early.
Odds for Riders World Championship favourites generally start around 2.75 and go up to 11.00. Nobody above that is worth betting on.
A spin on picking the Riders World Champion are yes/no bets, such as ‘will Valentino Rossi be the Moto GP Champion?’ These bets are generally only offered on riders with a legitimate shot at winning, with odds for ‘yes’ ranging from 3.00 to 12.00. ‘No’ bets usually range from 1.50 to 1.05.
The downside to Moto GP futures bets is that even if you win, you have to wait until the end of the season to collect your winnings. Until every other rider is mathematically eliminated, the sports betting site will have your money. For this reason, we recommend keeping your Moto GP futures bets down to .5 – 1% of your bankroll. Don’t tie up a large percentage of your bankroll on a bet that could take months to get paid on.
2011 Moto GP Race Schedule
Moto GP is truly an international sport, with 18 races spread across Qatar, Spain, Italy, France, Great Britain, Australia, Netherlands, Portugal, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Czech Republic, Germany, and the United States.
Moto GP Betting Tips
For outright winners, bet on the ‘4 Aliens’, Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, and Casey Stoner. Moto GP is not a sport for betting on big underdogs, because the almost never win. Likewise, only bet on factory teams.
For 2011 Top 3 finishers, eliminate the favorite, and take one of the 4 aliens that is suited for the track, is running well, and has more favourable odds. Lorenzo, with 16 podiums in 2010 seems to be a lock almost every race, but odds on him will not be good for 2011. Repsol Honda factory rider Dovizioso is also a good choice for Top 3 bets, but not a good choice for outright wins…until he proves he can win. In 2010, Dovizioso had 7 podium finishes (0 wins), with odds much more valuable than any of the Aliens.
Unless you have some sort of inside information that the lines makers and betting public doesn’t have (highly unlikely), don’t bet on the first 4-5 races of a new season. Watch the first few races and see how the riders are doing instead of committing your money to unpredictable outcomes. This is especially important in years when key riders change bikes. For example, Rossi is going from Yamaha to Ducati in 2011, and Stoner is leaving Ducati for Honda.
Nobody will know how this will affect the 2011 season until a few races have been completed. With a wink I’ll say…in this situation, it’s Yamaha who could be the big winner here, with Lorenzo staying on the bike he dominated 2010 with. However, Stoner finished the 2010 season strong, and a switch to Honda could be exactly what he needs to put him over the top. Dovizioso and Pedrosa could see more podiums early in the season as well. However, all of this is just a guess right now, so don’t bet on it.
Podium Finishes in 2010:
- Lorenzo – 16 (#1 – 10, #2 – 4, #3 – 2)
- Rossi – 10 (#1 – 2, #2 – 2, #3 – 6)
- Pedrosa – 9 (#1 – 3, #2 – 6)
- Stoner – 9 (#1 – 3, #2 – 2, #3 – 4)
- Dovizioso – 7 (#2 – 3, #3 – 4)
Moto GP Racing in the United States
To put some perspective on the scale of this sport internationally, 2009 Moto GP Champion Valentino Rossi earns more than $35 million USD per year, more than the highest earning F1 or Nascar drivers. While the sport is doing well without the U.S. fan base, experienced Moto GP punters have a vested interest in the growth of the sport in the United States.
A sudden influx of new punters from the United States would likely move lines towards Nicky Hayden, Colin Edwards, and Ben Spies. This would offer more value to lines on 2010 Riders World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner.
Adjustments of just 5% in our favour could be the difference of winning or losing in Moto GP betting. So, we’re hoping that Moto GP continues to make a comeback in the United States.
As a sport that used to be dominated by Americans, and considering the popularity of motorcycle riding in the U.S., Moto GP racing is strangely unknown. Outside of the hard core sport bike riders in the U.S., few people are familiar with the sport.
After 10 years without Moto GP racing in the United States (1995-2004), there are now two Moto GP races held there. In July, the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix is held at Laguna Seca, California. The return to Moto GP racing in the U.S. started here in 2005, where American Nicky Hayden pulled off the impossible, winning his first-ever Moto GP race. It was a huge first step towards bringing back the popularity of Moto GP in the U.S., but more work needs to be done.
Since 2008, late August is when the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix is held at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. To accommodate Moto GP motorcycle racing, the track went through a heavy transformation into an exciting, high speed, 16 turn road race. In its Moto GP layout, the track is nearly identical to its Formula 1 layout, with two exceptions. First, the race is run in the opposite direction. Second, three tight turns are added into what is currently turn 13 of the F1 track. The main 5/8th mile long straightaway is retained, offering fans a chance to see some of the highest Moto GP speeds, along with excellent cornering challenges.
