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With Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) on the cusp of claiming his first WorldSBK victory, Rob Hartog (Team Hartog – Against Cancer) having a strong start to the European Supersport Cup and Dutch riders first and second in the World Supersport 300 Championship, this weekend's MOTUL Dutch Round of WorldSBK is set to be a classic.

The home heroes will be cheered on by a huge crowd once again at Assen and while van der Mark is the darling of the Dutch, the performances from Koen Meuffels (KTM Fortron Junior Team), Scott Deroue (Motoport Kawasaki) and Robert Schotman (Motoport Kawasaki) in WorldSSP300 are the best chance of a home winner. Meuffels riding the KTM, has overcome a series of health setbacks to get his career back on track, and his performance in Aragon was sensational. Riding the KTM, he was able to get to the front of the pack at the right time and claim the win from his compatriot Deroue. For Deroue this weekend is critical. He needs to stamp his authority on the series and show that he deserves to be in the conversation for world championship, but with Glenn van Straalen (KTM Fortron Racing Team) - a podium finisher last year - there could easily be four Dutch riders at the front of the field.

It will be fascinating to see how each of them deals with the pressure of their home round. Van der Mark has grown accustomed to it in recent years. In 2014 he claimed his first victory in WorldSSP at Assen, and since then he has been on the podium in three WorldSBK races. Last year the 25 year old fought at the front of the field and he'll surely be doing the same once again this year.

The Assen crowd has swelled in recent years – up to 54,000 in 2017 - with the fortunes improving for Dutch riders and they're sure to be out in vast numbers this weekend to cheer on their local heroes. No Dutch rider has ever won a WorldSBK race, so it would be fitting if van der Mark can claim the honour this weekend.