Dutch TT, Assen
Date: 26 June
Friday qualifying: 1150-1500 BST, BBC Red Button (not Freeview) and online (UK only) Saturday: 125cc and Moto2 races: 0950-1205, BBC Red Button/online MotoGP race: 1240-1400, BBC Red Button/online; Highlights: 2330-0030, BBC Two

Lorenzo celebrates victory at Silverstone

By Steve Parrish BBC MotoGP commentator

All the feedback I have had suggests Silverstone did a brilliant job of staging the British Grand Prix.

The teams loved the place and the riders were pretty much unanimous in their approval. There were a few bumps on the new track but that made the racing more interesting.

The race would have been even better had Valentino Rossi been there but the Italian will be out of action for up to six months with a broken leg.

Unfortunately, Jorge Lorenzo ran away with it after Dani Pedrosa, his main rival, took a tumble.

It was great to see World Superbikes champion Ben Spies on the podium for the first time, taking third place for Monster Yamaha Tech 3. We have all been waiting for that to happen.

Considering he has got a small crack in his ankle as a result of a crash, Spies did a really good job in only his ninth MotoGP. Like buses, the podiums might start coming all at once for the American.

It was interesting to see what impact Rossi's absence had on the race, the riders, the fans and the atmosphere.

There was definitely something missing, as evidenced by what went on in the paddock.

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There is usually a huge gridlock around Rossi's van, which attracts a massive group of fans, but that was not the case this time.

With Rossi absent, there was an even distribution of spectators in amongst the team trucks.

Next up for MotoGP is Assen on Saturday. There is a quick turnaround of six days but that will not really affect the riders. They will just go into race mode 24 hours earlier.

The kind of people who will suffer are the team drivers and hospitality people, who have one less day to transport MotoGP's tented city from England to the Netherlands.

Assen is another long track with an enormous number of corners. Originally a road circuit, it has been modified into a racetrack.

Each year it changes. This year the back esses have been opened up, making the lap times quicker.

I do not think any of the riders will treat it differently, though. They will go round as fast as they can.

Assen has a very distinct atmosphere, with fans coming from all over Europe to make their pilgrimage to 'the cathedral of motorsport', as the venue is known.

The meeting is known as the Dutch TT because it is their version of the Isle of Man event. It is a very accessible place and many fans make it their one race-visit each year.

Hayden (69) beat Edwards (5) in a thrilling finale in 2006

Assen does sometimes spring a surprise or two. In 2006, Colin Edwards came the closest he has ever done to his first win, crashing right at the end after a huge battle with Nicky Hayden.

Fellow American Hayden won the race and moved a step closer to the world title that year.

Rossi, who came out on top last year, is missing, as is Hiroshi Aoyama, who fractured a vertebra in a crash during the Silverstone warm-up.

It was dreadful that only 13 riders finished Sunday's race. We will not have a full field this week either.

The competition definitely needs more riders, which is why officials are changing the rules to entice more teams in.

At the moment, World Superbikes is proving more popular because it is cheaper. But, if you ask me, that is settling for Division One as opposed to the Premier League.

Regulations currently allow teams to miss two races before fulfilling their obligation to put riders on bikes. Maybe that should be reduced to one race to keep the numbers up.

Yamaha will have two races without replacing Rossi - and there is no news yet on who his deputy will be.

Edwards might step up from the Tech 3 team to ride with Lorenzo, but then who goes into Tech 3? No one jumps out, which means Yamaha have not got an easy task.

My Assen Dutch TT race prediction:

1) Jorge Lorenzo 2) Dani Pedrosa 3) Andrea Dovizioso

Steve Parrish was talking to BBC Sport's Julian Shea.

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