Aprilia

Being a Texan, Ben Spies is naturally unfazed at being thrown out of the saddle

Nico Terol shows that blue can be the fastest color

Seeing eye-to-eye: Colin Edwards ...

We should have known that the writing was on the wall when Valentino Rossi debuted his "Farewell" helmet at Laguna Seca

Jorge Lorenzo is redefining "unstoppable" this season

Kenny Noyes, one of three US riders crowding the Moto2 class at Indy

A variety of Italian sources are reporting that WSBK championship points leader Max Biaggi will extend his stay at the factory Alitalia Aprilia team until 2012. A move to a rival team was never really considered a serious possibility, but the parties were said to be haggling over compensation. All that has been resolved, according to reports, with Biaggi agreeing to a salary of one million Euro per annum, which would probably make the Roman Emperor the highest paid rider in the series. All that remains is for Biaggi to sign on the dotted line. Aprilia is also reportedly keen to retain the services of the current BSB champion Leon Camier. 

As is common at world championship motorcycle racing events, the Superbike commission - the World Superbike series' rule-making body - gathered to discuss rules to be introduced for the 2011 series. After the meeting, a press release was issued detailing the changes to be made for next season, and they make interesting reading.

The biggest change was the scrapping of the loophole which has allowed Aprilia to drive the camshafts on their RSV4 World Superbike machines using gears instead of the chains fitted on the production bikes. The rule had originally read "The method of cam drive (chain, belt or gears) must remain as on the homologated motorcycle unless a complete kit is available through normal commercial channels" but the last part of the sentence - "unless a complete kit is available through normal commercial channels" - has been dropped.

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

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

MotoMatters.com ace photographer Scott Jones may not be on the ground at Assen, but we still have a few photos for you. Our friend Michel Hulshof of Sports Photography picked his favorite spots around his home track and shot a few snaps for us. Enjoy: 

Fastest man on day 1: Jorge Lorenzo

CEII gets up close and personal with the fans

The color makes the name superfluous

Blow, baby, blow

One man, three teams: Jorge Martinez aka Aspar

Yamaha still can't find anyone to ride Rossi's bike

Dirty Leathers: Andrea Dovizioso had a big off, and no time to clean his leathers on Saturday

Full marks for effort: Randy de Puniet is on a mission at Silverstone

Jorge Lorenzo learned his way around Silverstone surprisingly quickly

Birthday Boy: Kenny Noyes celebrated his 31st birthday with a fogged up visor

For the first time in a while, Ben Spies turned up at a track with the same level of knowledge as his rivals. He ended day 1 in 5th