Assen, The Netherlands

Nicky Hayden, undeterred and still sporting a faux-hican

Alvaro Bautista got the factory ride he wanted. And more

Andrea Dovizioso has had an extraordinary season in 2010

MotoGP's next rock star: Marco Simoncelli

As usual after a MotoGP race weekend, the guys with OnTheThrottle catch up with Monster Tech 3 Yamaha's Ben Spies to talk about the weekend's events, and to evaluate with Spies how his race weekend went. In this latest episode, Spies and OTT's Dave Williams talk about how Spies' Yamaha M1 compares to the factory Yamahas, how his races at Assen and Catalunya went, and the differences between hard and soft tires. Here's the video:

With MotoGP now one third through its 18 race season, the effect of the engine-life regulations - restricting each MotoGP rider to just 6 engines throughout the entire season - is starting to become clear. The latest engine information list - assembled by IRTA and MotoGP Technical Director Mike Webb, and distributed (if you can call it that) by Dorna - provides an interesting perspective on the impact the regulations are having, and how the factories have approached the problems posed by limited engines.

The clear winner that emerges from the list is surely Honda. Of their six riders, three (Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso, and San Carlo Gresini's Marco Simoncelli) have used just two engines, and not had to have a third engine officially sealed. Dovizioso and Simoncelli have distributed their races equally, with three races on each of the two engines, while Dani Pedrosa has four races on his number 1 engine, and just two on his number 2 engine.

The last of Michel Hulshof's race-day photos from Assen. If you like these shots, or would like prints of his photos, you can contact Michel through his website at http://www.sports-photography.org/. You can also follow @ProNikon on Twitter.

Can't keep a good man down: LCR Honda's Randy de Puniet

The very definition of Fast: Marlboro Ducati's Casey Stoner

Andrea Iannone demonstrates how well balanced the FIMMCO SpeedUp bike is: Hard on the brakes, and the rear is still on the tarmac

With the success of the switch from the 250cc class to the four-stroke Moto2 formula - in terms of cost, and certainly in terms of grid size - the many fans of the two-stroke engine have been fearing the worst: the disappearance of the last two-stroke formula from the MotoGP paddock. At Assen, news is unofficially emerging that their fears have been confirmed. For the members of the Grand Prix commission are close to an agreement on replacing the 125cc class, and the bad news for two-stroke enthusiasts is that the smallest of the Grand Prix classes is about to turn four stroke.

From 2012 - or possibly 2013, according to some rumors - the 125s will be replaced with a 250cc four-stroke single. Contrary to earlier reports, though, the bikes will not be based on the existing four-stroke engines being used in motocross bikes such as Yamaha's YZ250F or Honda's CRF250R. The engines will have a maximum bore of 81 millimeters, making for much higher-revving short-stroke motors. 

Yet more stunning images from the camera of Michel Hulshof, shooting his home Grand Prix at Assen. You can see more at http://www.sports-photography.org/ 

Compare and contrast: Dani "Mr Smooth" Pedrosa

... Toni "Wild Man" Elias

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