Round 10 Preview: Budds Creek — Rip It Ron's Picks

🏍️ Intro

Hey legends, it’s your boy Ron here coming in hotter than a Budds Creek uphill in the midday heat! Round 10 is Hard Charger central, and if you don’t build for passes and late-moto fitness this week, you’re basically doing a sight lap while everyone else is pinned. Let’s break down who’s gonna slice through the pack and stack those bonus points for your FastMoto squads.

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📍 Round Overview — Budds Creek Heat Check

Budds Creek is classic Mid‑Atlantic moto: rutted, hilly, sticky dirt and brutal humidity just south of D.C. This place has hosted legends and heartbreaks, and it rewards riders who can keep the throttle on when everyone else is melting.

What to watch for:

• Big elevation and off‑camber turns: Easy to lose front-end feel, great for aggressive passers to set up cross-jumps and inside lines.
• Deep ruts + tacky soil: Technical track that rewards precision and late-brake chargers.
• Summer humidity: Fitness and focus become weapons, especially in Moto 2.
• History lesson: Ricky Carmichael went 8-for-8 in 450MX here, and Eli Tomac is second all-time in podiums. This place loves elite pace and mental toughness.

And remember: Hard Charger scoring is live — positions gained from that qualifying gate pick = free fantasy roost. We’re targeting dudes who start mid-pack and move forward all day.

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💥 450 Class Breakdown — Big Bikes, Big Chargers

#38 Haiden Deegan (+1 HCP)

Look, Ron’s been wrong before, but I’m planting a flag here: Budds Creek feels like a Deegan Hard Charger clinic.

• Avg: 29.1 pts/main — best raw average in the 450 field.
• Avg HC/Rnd: 11.6 pts — that’s enormous; he’s not just fast, he’s constantly moving forward from his gate pick.
• Recent form: 26.5, 24, 42.5. That last round? That’s exactly the kind of ceiling we want for a high-floor anchor.
• +1 HCP isn’t massive, but with his passing and fitness, he doesn’t need a big buffer to torch the field.

He’s the guy you want when Hard Charger is juiced. High ceiling, strong floor, clearly trending toward late-season form.

#54 Benny Bloss (+12 HCP)

Benny Bloss at Budds Creek with +12 HCP is the kind of pick that wins leagues quietly.

• Avg: 24.8 pts/main — already legit.
• Avg HC/Rnd: 8.9 pts — strong HC upside; he consistently works forward.
• Recent: 36, 36, 31 — that’s three straight rounds of big scores and an obvious upward trend.
• With +12 HCP, a raw 14–15th becomes a single-digit adjusted finish. That converts hustle into serious fantasy points.

Long motos on rough tracks? Bloss is that tall, smooth guy who just keeps chipping away. Perfect Hard Charger profile.

#24 R.J. Hampshire (+4 HCP)

R.J. and Hard Charger scoring go together like Budds Creek and humidity.

• Avg: 25.9 pts/main — top-tier anchor numbers.
• Avg HC/Rnd: 8.9 pts — same HC punch as Bloss, but from a higher natural pace.
• Recent: 27, 27, 27 — insanely consistent. That’s the fantasy equivalent of ripping the same rut lap after lap.
• +4 HCP gives him just enough bump that if he starts 8–10th and claws forward (like he always does), you’re banking serious adjusted points.

In a chaos round, R.J. is that stable, aggressive dude you want in the truck.

#36 Garrett Marchbanks (+11 HCP)

This is your risk/reward missile.

• Avg: 24.6 pts/main, but don’t let that number fool you.
• Avg HC/Rnd: 8.1 pts — he’s a regular Hard Charger weapon.
• Recent: 40.5, 0, 21 — a huge score, a complete blowup, then solid. That’s volatility you can leverage.
• With +11 HCP, any top‑10 raw finish turns into big adjusted juice.

If you can handle a little sketch in your lineup, Marchbanks is exactly the type of rider who can break Budds Creek wide open for you.

#106 Stephen Rubini (+25 HCP)

If you’re hunting a value hammer with massive HCP, Rubini is your guy.

• Avg: 24.6 pts/main — same per-main as Marchbanks.
• Avg HC/Rnd: 7.1 pts — legit, consistent forward mover.
• Recent: 30.5, 28.5, 32 — that’s a rock-solid upward trend.
• And then the cheat code: +25 HCP. That’s just silly. Raw 18th? Adjusted like a near top‑10.

On a track where late-moto passes are everywhere, this combo (good form + huge HCP + strong HC) screams fantasy value.

450s I’m Fading (Relative to Ownership)

• #96 Hunter Lawrence (+0 HCP) — elite real-world rider, but:
  • Avg HC/Rnd: -3.4 pts — he’s losing Hard Charger points on average.
  • No HCP safety net. You’re paying full price in a format that heavily rewards movers.
• #31 Mikkel Haarup (+14 HCP) — good HCP, but only 1.7 Avg HC/Rnd and a recent 0. I don’t hate him, but others have more proven HC upside for similar risk.

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🔥 250 Class Breakdown — Little Bikes, Big Points

The 250s are where Hard Charger scoring really goes nuclear this week. There are some outrageous HC profiles in this class.

#47 Levi Kitchen (+0 HCP)

Levi is basically a fantasy cheat code right now.

• Avg: 29.5 pts/main — best in the class.
• Avg HC/Rnd: 19.3 pts — read that again. Nineteen point three. This dude is out here doing Hard Charger cosplay every weekend.
• Recent: 39.5, 26, 39 — multiple monster rounds.
• +0 HCP means you’re not getting adjusted freebies, but he doesn’t need them. He qualifies decent, then still shreds through the pack.

In a Hard Charger-heavy format, he’s almost impossible to leave out of your core.

#29 Chance Hymas (+1 HCP)

Quietly turning into a fantasy stud.

• Avg: 26.6 pts/main — strong, reliable production.
• Avg HC/Rnd: 11 pts — that’s top-tier charging.
• Recent: 23.5, 29, 29 — super consistent top-value scoring.
• +1 HCP gives a little extra cushion on adjusted finish.

He’s not as flashy as Kitchen, but he’s exactly the type of guy that keeps your lineup upright when the chaos hits.

#42 Dilan Schwartz (+13 HCP)

This is where we start cooking.

• Avg: 24.6 pts/main — solid baseline.
• Avg HC/Rnd: 7.3 pts — strong Hard Charger production.
• Recent: 34.5, 39.5, 32.5 — those are big, upward-trending fantasy totals.
• +13 HCP means even a mid-pack qualifier and start can turn into a massive adjusted gain with his passing.

On a rutty, technical track like Budds Creek, Schwartz looks like one of the best value 250 plays of the week.

#71 Carson Mumford (+3 HCP)

Mumford is on a sneaky heater.

• Avg: 27.4 pts/main — elite tier.
• Avg HC/Rnd: 10 pts — double-digit Hard Charger goodness.
• Recent: 34.5, 33, 33.5 — three straight high-value rounds and trending up.
• +3 HCP isn’t massive, but when you’re already gaining 10 HC points a round, you’re fine.

High floor, high ceiling, and doesn’t rely on miracles to pay off. Big fan this week.

#140 Russell Buccheri (+27 HCP)

This is your deep-cut, high-HCP weapon.

• Avg: 26.2 pts/main — almost elite production.
• Avg HC/Rnd: 5.8 pts — steady Hard Charger gains.
• Recent: 25.5, 24, 30.5 — trending the right way.
• The big one: +27 HCP. That is absolutely enormous. Any kind of competent day turns into a fantasy explosion.

If he qualifies a little buried (which boosts HC ceiling) but charges into the teens, your adjusted score will be filthy.

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💡 Sleeper Picks of the Week

450 Sleeper — #106 Stephen Rubini (+25 HCP)

Rubini isn’t a household fantasy name yet, but he checks every Budds Creek / Hard Charger box:

• 24.6 pts/main with 7.1 Avg HC/Rnd — great combo of pace and passes.
• Recent: 30.5, 28.5, 32 — all trending in the right direction.
• +25 HCP gives him one of the biggest adjustment cushions in the field.

If he lands around P18–P20 in raw results and moves forward, he’s going to absolutely crush his salary-equivalent value.

250 Sleeper — #42 Dilan Schwartz (+13 HCP)

Schwartz is the exact kind of sleeper that wins late-season rounds.

• 39.5 and 32.5 in the last two rounds shows his ceiling.
• 7.3 Avg HC/Rnd plus +13 HCP = beautiful Hard Charger math.
• His style suits choppy, rutted outdoor tracks — he just keeps grinding passes.

If ownership sleeps on him while chasing bigger names, you can make serious ground.

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🤙 Signing Off

Budds Creek is going to separate the cruisers from the chargers — and with Hard Charger scoring cranked up, this is THE week to back the guys who dig deep late in the moto and keep moving forward. Lock in the pass-makers, fade the dudes who go backwards, and let your squad absolutely roost your league.

Stay pinned,

— Ron 🤙