Rossi confident of matching Stoner

In changeable conditions in Australia, Stoner set the fastest time in both practice sessions.

"Stoner is very fast. He has a little bit of an advantage compared to the other guys," Rossi admitted.

"But I think we are able to get better. With the wind today I had a lot of problems controlling the bike. Tomorrow we can improve and it's possible to make a better lap time, for sure."

Stoner was fastest by 1.3 seconds in morning practice, with Rossi 2.3 seconds slower than the Ducati in third place. Although Stoner's time was set just before another shower hit, Rossi reckoned the Australian had put in a brave performance on a still-damp track.

"The gap in the morning was incredible," said Rossi. "Stoner had a big advantage - he was faster. But especially he was very fast when it was not completely dry.

"He went faster this morning than this afternoon. That means he was very brave, because there were two or three parts where it was not completely dry, so he risked a little bit."

Rossi denied that Yamaha's decision to skip the pre-season test at Phillip Island had put the team at a disadvantage this weekend.

When asked if testing at the track would have made any difference, he replied: "Not very much. The test was in different conditions, and was very far away, in February. I need more laps to remember the secrets of the track, but it's not a big issue."

He also confirmed that Yamaha were not using their new pneumatic valve engine in Australia.

"We have some small different parts, but we're using the normal valves," Rossi said. "I don't know if we will use the new valves another time before the end of the year. Maybe Malaysia, maybe not. It depends if they fix the problems."