MotoGP Betting: Season highlight as the tour heads to Holland

Moto GP / Trent Burton / 26 June 2008 / Leave a Comment

If you've never watched a MotoGP before there's no better place to start than the Dutch TT at Assen where the MotoGP circus heads this weekend.

The 'Bikes Only' circuit almost always produces great racing and is the only track to have hosted a Grand Prix every year since the championship began. Some of the sport's legends have taken landmark victories there, not least Barry Sheene who took his maiden 500cc victory at the historic circuit back in 1975.

The key difference to remember between the Dutch TT and any other round is that the race itself is, as tradition dictates, held on Saturday afternoon. So don't load up the site and switch on Eurosport on Sunday afternoon expecting to see MotoGP because you're going to be sorely disappointed when you find volleyball. And that's indoor volleyball as well. Race on Saturday. Make a note.

There's so much to digest from Donington last week it's hard to know where to start. Here's some of what we learnt from last weekend's trip to the Midlands: Stoner is back to his 2007 best, Rossi remains the man to beat for the title, Pedrosa still can't win a dogfight, Edwards is having his best season ever, Marco Melandri is becoming an embarrassment to Ducati, Lorenzo is back, Ben Spies is a kid to watch, James Toseland had the worst day of his life and the English definition of summer remains debatable. So what does all that mean for Assen?

Assen is not unlike Donington in many ways as it is a fast flowing circuit without a long straightaway and therefore the last race should act as a good form guide with the possible exception of one fact. The last person to take a victory at Assen with anything other than Michelin tyres was Kevin Schwantz. In 1991. Four of those wins have come courtesy of a certain Valentino Rossi including last year's stunning win from eleventh on the grid after a frenetic battle with Casey Stoner. But with both Rossi and Stoner on Bridgestones, Michelin's streak may be coming to an end.

Last weekend, Stoner was simply awesome. He was so dominating that even Rossi himself was left speechless and after the first two sessions at Assen today, the reigning champ has me reaching for the thesaurus as well. Untouchable seems to fit best. Stoner and the Ducati has reeled in so many laps quicker than anyone else thus far I've run out of fingers. The best of those is more than eight tenths of a second ahead of second placed Rossi. That's unheard of. The Aussie's at a near-on unbackable [2.02] for the win and is actually unbackable for pole and deservedly so. If this form continues tomorrow, and I see no reason as to why it shouldn't, that price may get even shorter and Rossi's [3.2] for the victory drift out. The fists-out duels that Assen tends to produce would normally be something the Australian and the Italian would be looking forward to but at the moment Rossi has first got to figure out how to keep up with the number one bike.

And so we find the man second in the title hunt, Dani Pedrosa, out to [6.2] for the win. Expect Dani to be quick again but when the going gets tough he may well opt for the safe podium position if it's available. I just can't see any value in the Spaniard. In fact, it's no real surprise to see that, despite Pedrosa trailing Rossi by just 11 points in the championship compared to Stoner who is [45.0] behind The Doctor, Casey has moved up to second favourite for the title now at [4.8] to Pedrosa's [5.3]. Rossi has taken the form of the hunted. Last Sunday night Stoner had the look in his eyes of a man on a mission. Dani of a man defeated. And whilst Rossi was content to dismiss Stoner as being too far back to stress about right now, he didn't sound as convincing as Valentino usually is.

Looking through past the big three a few guys stick out as the spoilers this week. Lorenzo went to Donington openly admitting he was a little scared getting back on the bike after one too many big falls and found himself qualifying in 17th. But by Sunday evening he had produced one of the rides of the weekend to finish sixth, was celebrating like he'd won and then quite bizarrely set about quoting Bruce Lee to the media. He may still be riding hurt but a top three finish at [2.98] is not out of the question.

Another top three prospect, currently [5.6] for a podium result, is the man who took victory at Assen in 2006, Nicky Hayden. He has been a much happier man since getting the new Honda which has suited his style a whole lot more. He has always run well at Assen and has been on the pace throughout practice, something that has been absent from his season so far. Another point worth noting is that since getting the pneumatic valve engine, he's been quicker than his team-mate Pedrosa, on the old spring valve setup, in every qualifying and practice session. He's desperate for a good result and due one to boot.

And so to his countryman Colin Edwards. You might remember back to 2006 where Colin led into the last corner of the last lap at Assen coasting to his maiden win. Then he crashed. It was objectively heart-breaking. Still without a GP win to his credit the consistent Yamaha rider is again towards the top of the sheets in practice and his first win may not come this weekend but [3.75] for a spot on the podium is well worth a look. His team-mate James Toseland is no doubt going to be struggling a little from the injury to his wrist obtained after his fall in Donington and I wouldn't expect to trouble the markets this weekend.

And so, as always, Assen is shaping up for a series of interesting battles on race day, although just like Donington, they may end up being for second. A quick glance to the dictionary has untouchable as: (n) 1. Out of reach; unobtainable, 2. Being beyond the reach of criticism, impeachment or attack. This weekend we may end up having to add, 3. Casey and the Ducati.