Drenching rain and the unexpected appearance of a stray dog on the track were both big surprises for Valentino Rossi in the opening practice for Sunday's Grand Prix of the Americas.
The session was red flagged causing a 15-minute delay as officials rounded up the dog at COTA in Austin.
Rossi, riding a Yamaha M1, finished fourth fastest on a soaking wet track with Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso topping the timesheets on the new GP15.
Further rain is predicted across the weekend with most teams ready for the prospect of wet race at COTA.
"It is very strange to see the rain here in Texas but also very strange to see a dog running along the track," Rossi said. "We expected bad weather and in fact here it is. It's good that we have had the chance to ride on the wet and the grip of the track is good.
"I am quite happy because I have a good feeling with the bike. Although we still have a lot of work to do it's a good way to start the weekend."
Rossi is hoping to end his losing streak in Austin where he has not won in two years of MotoGP in Texas.
Defending world champion Marc Marquez (Honda) won both the 2013 and 2014 races. Marquez was second fastest in opening practice with British rider Scott Redding (Honda) third just ahead of Rossi.
Rossi is a master strategist and if the rain continues the conditions will favor him.
"On the wet everything changes," Rossi said. "But also it's difficult to understand our potential on a dry track in such circumstances but we are quite satisfied because in the past we rarely were strong under the rain so being in the top five is good."
The Grand Prix of the Americas is the second round of the MotoGP World Championship. Coverage of the race can be seen on FOX Sports 1 this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.
Get out of there, dog!!!! #vroom #motogp pic.twitter.com/m3mSuAri8k
— Joe Boutros (@contextjunkie) April 10, 2015
