Riders content with 11pm Qatar start

Several riders had called for the race to be brought forward from its scheduled 11pm local time start following a string of crashes at Turn 2 in testing, amid suspicions that moisture was forming on the track surface at that spot as temperatures dropped heading into the night.

But after a trouble-free practice hour, Rossi expects the race to run to its planned timetable.

"Always Turn 2 is quite dangerous, but better than in the test - less humidity and better temperature," he said. "So I think it's possible to race at 11pm."

Hayden agreed that the weather seemed more favourable this weekend.

"It felt in some places grippier than in the test," he said. "But when we were here in the test, late at night we got the condensation. It seems a bit warmer.

"I'm just looking at the cars - at the test when we would leave and get to our cars at night, you'd have to turn your wipers on, and I don't see that tonight. So I think conditions are okay tonight."

But while being content to leave the race on its current schedule for this weekend, Rossi reiterated his belief that an 11pm start is too late and that changes should be made for 2011.

"I remain of the same idea that 11pm is too late to wait for Europe so I hope next year it's 10pm at the maximum," Rossi said. "But this time I think it will remain like this."