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A ssen has lost a lot. The newly truncated and emasculated Dutch TT circuit has lost speed, distance, character, flow and passing opportuni- ties. But it has not lost its power to sur- prise, nor to make and break heroes - or to let the still-ardent fans (91,000 packing the stands and banks) share in pivotal pas- sages in the World Championships. Especially for Nicky Hayden, as the Repsol Honda rider claimed his second Grand Prix win, and his first in Europe. Already leading in points, today's hard- fought victory boosts his advantage in the run up to his home GP. It was also Honda's 200th win in the premier class. And especially for Camel Yamaha's Colin Edwards, who qualified on the front row and confidently led most of the race. He'd been consigned to second in the closing stages when he took to the escape road at the end of the back straight, as his deter- mined compatriot outbraked him. This set the scene for an unforgettable finish. Edwards started the last lap a full second adrift, but he halved that gap by half a lap, and then surged ahead through the last fast kink before the final set of corners. Hayden fought back into the chicane, but then had to run wide and into the gravel as he found a false neutral. And that meant that Edwards, the former two- time World Superbike Champion, at last had one hand on his first long-desired Grand Prix win. But he, too, was struggling. Unaware that Hayden was in the run-off, and anx- ious to fend off his attack, he ran across the inside curb at the exit from the very last chicane. As he crossed the Astroturf with the power on, his Yamaha flicked violently sideways, threw him off, and continued, riderless, into the barrier. Hayden, bat- tling to regain control, took the win. "Everyone had told me to go careful, but today the bike was so good, I had to go for the win," Hayden said. "But Colin was so fast and so smooth. I changed something in one section of the track, and it made all the difference, and I could close up on him." Asked what he'd changed, he pre- ferred to keep it a secret. "We'd tried a different [suspension] link in the morning [he was fastest in warmup] and even adjusted the shock before the race, which we never usually do," he reported, "but we were sure it was the right direction." Hayden knew he'd been lucky in the final showdown, especially after running into the chicane in neutral, spoiling his plan to come around the outside on the entry and forcing him to pick up the bike and run into the gravel. "I knew I was strong there, and though most people go up the inside, I decided to Circuit van Drenthe Assen, Holland Round 8 June 24, 2006 JULY 5, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S 18 World Championship Road Race Series BY MICHAEL SCOTT PHOTOS BY GOLD & GOOSE Colin Edwards (5) leads the field into turn one at the start of the Dutch TT. Edwards (5) controlled 90 percent of the race.