The first free practice session at the 'new' Assen circuit has ended with Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano setting the fastest time after a rain-hit 90-minute exploratory run, but the real drama came when Valentino Rossi crashed heavily early on.

The Doctor fell from his YZR-M1 machine at high-speed approaching the final chicane and had to be stretchered off to the medical center.

Early reports from track-side indicated that Camel Yamaha's Rossi had broken his wrist and sustained injuries to his chest and ankle. He attended a Dutch hospital for further examinations, and as yet there is no official word on his condition and his further participation in this weekend's race meeting.

Nakano's time of 1:39.619 is some 19 seconds faster than Rossi's 2005 pole-lap, following major reconstruction of the North loop, which reduced the overall length of the lap from 3.7-miles to 2.8-miles.

Super Shinya was followed home by Suzuki's John Hopkins and LCR Honda's Casey Stoner, the trio split by 0.412 seconds.

The session started dry, but the clouds had gathered during the first 45 minutes, and soon after, the heaven's opened and the riders returned to pit-lane, in the hope that the wet weather would abate. Sadly, the rain continued to fall and the session was effectively finished.

Injured riders Marco Melandri (20 laps) and Loris Capirossi (14 laps) showed why motorcycle racers are a hardy bunch, Melandri only cleared to ride in Holland yesterday following the accident at the start of the Catalan GP.

The weather forecast for the rest of the day is mixed, so fingers crossed that the second free practice hour remains dry. That session is due to begin at 2pm, local time at the Circuit Van Drenthe.

Relevant Times:

New Track Layout for 2006.