Rossi concerned by tyre wear

The Italian was satisfied with his day after he finished the second session with the fourth fastest time, but he is hoping that the track conditions will improve to give the riders more grip over the course of the weekend.

"We had more problems today with tyres, especially with traction. I hope that some of this problem is from the track, because Jerez is always a bit slippery on the first day.

"This morning I was worried because I was slow, but this afternoon we improved the settings of the bike, and the laptimes are not so bad."

Rossi admitted to being surprised by the pace of Carlos Checa and Toni Elias who were first and third respectively in the afternoon session, and he is expecting tyre wear to play a major role in the outcome of the race on Sunday.

"The most important issue for the race will be tyres, because it will be especially hard on the rears," he said. "The last part of the race will be hard for everybody."