With two races in less than seven days, the MotoGP calendar is on its shortest break period between two races in the season. Round 9 of the championships takes us to the A-Style TT Assen, in Holland on the 28th of June. This will be the 60th time that the dutch circuit has become a feature on the calendar. Although the MotoGP calendar may be going dutch, none of the riders are keen on sharing anything, let alone points for the next round. With the Championship Race heating up, Valentino Rossi has been leading the way with 162 points while Daniel Pedrosa, who has the same number of podium finishes as Rossi (Seven), is 11 points behind.

Rossi has an immaculate record at Assen with four wins and a couple of podium finishes. The track is known as the 'Cathedral of Motorcycle Racing' and Rossi won an incredible race here last year. His only bad memory of the track was his crash in 2006 that made him think about withdrawing from the weekend's race activities.

Dani Pedrosa has been a competent and consistent rival and with third wins and a fourth place finish, is also a fan of the Assen race circuit. Unlike his team mate Nicky Hayden, Dani has not been using the new Pneumatic valve engine developed by the team and his third place at Donington Park certainly proved that he has the ability to do wonders with it. He is expected to continue with the same engine this time around as well.

Donington Park race winner, Casey Stoner, will be looking to further his title challenge. He resumed participation in the competition after last weekend's win over Rossi and an unstoppable run at Donington Park was just an indication of the fact that he cannot be ignored. Whether he can pull the same trick over the Italian and Spaniard again, is something that we can just wait and watch but considering Rossi's performance on this track, it can safely be said that Stoner's tactics might not work this time.

Jorge Lorenzo, Rossi's team mate returned to the scene after his concussion-led miss at the Catalunya circuit. His confidence building race at Donington Park seemed to hit the right spot as he started from a low position on the grid to finish the race at 6th place. A past winner in the 125cc and 250cc categories at Assen, Lorenzo will now look to regain his spot in the championships after having lost out due to injury.

Colin Edwards has had a mixed bag of results in Holland. He has crashed at the last corner of the final lap of the race, when he was leading; He has finished in the top six and also, has been set on fire by his machine. With fortune like that, he wouldn't mind a victory to compensate for all is bad times there.

Andrea Dovizioso is the sixth rider in the standings ahead of Nicky Hayden, the 2006 winner. Nicky Hayden's victory at Assen, in 2006, was his only triumph outside of the United States, at the MotoGP level. Ben Spies, who came in to replace the injured Loris Capirossi at Donington Park, will be on standby for the Assen round. Loris Capirossi remains confident that he will be able to return to the track before the weekend but only time will tell whether that will actually happen or whether Spies will get his second run out.

Alice Team's Toni Elias is doubtful as well for the race. In three seasons, something or the other, in terms of injuries, have always ruled him out before Saturday afternoon.