Yamaha champ sees weather as a factor for Australian GP (ANSA) - Phillp Island, September 15 - MotoGP champ Valentino Rossi failed to get up to speed in Friday's practice sessions for the Australian Grand Prix, in part because the cool weather kept his Michelin tires from developing sufficient grip .

"I had to work hard today also because we didn't do any tests here during the winter and the bike and tires have changed since last year," the Yamaha rider said .

"It took a few laps to get the Michelin tires up to the right temperature and the bikes with Bridgestone tires had a clear advantage because they work better on a cold track," Rossi added .

"The condition of the track was a problem for all of us because it has not been raced on for a while and was too clean to offer much grip. Let's hope it gets better tomorrow and, especially, for the race Sunday," the seven-time champion said .


Rossi was only eighth in the first session and sixth in the second .

"I also had some problems with the bike itself because it moved around a little too much in the back going into corners. We're going to have to do something to get quicker tomorrow," the 27-year-old rider added .

"But I'm confident we will because today we tested a couple of options. What's important is that on Sunday it's a little warmer for the Michelins," Rossi said .

The Italian ace needs to win on Sunday to keep alive any hope of clinching his sixth straight title in motorcycling's premier class. He is now 26 points behind the standings leader Nicky Hayden with four races to go, two of them this month. The American was only ninth in the first practice but clocked the third best time in the second .

More than Hayden, many observers considered his Honda teammate Daniel Pedrosa to be the biggest obstacle between Rossi and his eighth world title. The Spaniard is four points ahead of Rossi and in his brilliant debut year in MotoGP has demonstrated that he has both the talent and ambition to aspire to the title .

Pedrosa was ell behind on Friday's time sheets, only 16th and 17th, and Rossi explained this by the fact that "he has never liked this track and he's still hurting from his injuries .

The Honda rider hurt his knee and foot when he crashed during the second practices for last Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix. However, he went on to place third in the race .

Hayden is a different story, Rossi observed, because "he likes the track. Last year he took pole position and then came in second". What Sunday could see is a repeat of the thrilling duel in Malaysia last week when Rossi and Ducati's Loris Capirossi led the pack, repeatedly overtaking each other. with a series of passes at breakneck speed .

Capirossi had the fastest time in Friday's first practice and was second in the second .

"He was looking real good today," Rossi admitted .