, before attempting to close the door on a chasing Nicky Hayden just a little too vigorously and spinning up the rear on the astroturf on the chicane exit. Assen is a track that Edwards loves, and on competitive machinery, but without the pressure

by the developments which have taken place in tires. The changes mean that each rider will have to select 14 front and 17 rear tires on Thursday evening, to use over the course of 5 practice sessions and 1 race during the weekend. Considering that last season, riders

to the Australian Ducatista. Right with Rossi was Dani Pedrosa, and behind Pedrosa, Marco Melandri was doing his best to hold off a storming John Hopkins. Nearly two laps later, Rossi used the speed he had through the tricky rear section of the track to tuck

rear tires on the Thursday than Michelin. But this is something Bridgestone has always had to do, as having its factory in Japan meant they could not manufacture and ship new tires in overnight for the European races, as Michelin could from its plant

mate Toni Elias is the only one of the Honda men who seems to have no problems with the RC212V. Terrible Toni's flamboyant riding defies reason and logic, sliding the rear and hanging it out in total contrast to the smooth style which MotoGP sages have

that scalded it. The Tech 3 Yamaha man had gone from 17th to challenge for 12th, but that was more than his rear tire could handle. The back came round on Toseland too quickly for him to save it, and the Englishman was dumped unceremoniously on the tarmac

.Lorenzo may have been the first rider to test the limits of grip, but he was not to be the last. First to follow was Colin Edwards, whose twitching rear lost him a place to Casey Stoner round the first of the lefts out of the Omega. A place further down

emerged unscathed from Turn 1, and headed off towards the rear of the track, the crowd collectively exhaled, glad that the race would be decided on the tarmac and not in the gravel traps. Safe PassageThe Doctor must have been delighted that his Spanish

rear as he sat up for Turn 1, while behind him, the rest of the field jostled for position four abreast into the turn. Pedrosa's current team mate Nicky Hayden held the line on one side of the track, while his future team mate Andrea Dovizioso flanked

the restrictions - imposed by banning the use of front wheel speed sensors - by doing some clever calculations using comparisons of throttle opening, rear wheel speed and engine speed. This way, the team was able to build a traction control system that passed every