Rossi falls in Jerez warm-up.

World champion Valentino Rossi has fallen from his pole sitting Gauloises Yamaha on just his third lap of this morning's 20-minute warm-up session, which precedes this afternoon's season-opening Spanish Grand Prix.

From onboard camera shots, it appeared that the Italian was thrown from his machine after a 'tank slapper' developed under braking; the side-to-side movements getting out of control and throwing the #46 to the ground before both he and his machine tumbled through the gravel trap.

The Italian was unharmed in the fall, which left his M1 embedded firmly in a gravel trap with cosmetic damage at the very least, and was quick to vault the tyre wall and seek a scooter ride back to the pits where his largely Australian crew were soon swarmed all around him.

In his absence, title rival Sete Gibernau - fastest in all three free practice sessions, but second to Rossi in qualifying - dominated the warm-up, lapping 0.7secs faster than Movistar Honda team-mate Marco Melandri, who will start alongside Rossi and Gibernau on this afternoon's front row.

Warm-up - leading times:

1. Gibernau
2. Melandri (+0.7secs)
3. Barros (+0.8secs)
4. Hayden (+0.9secs)
5. Biaggi (+1secs)
6. Hofmann (+1.1secs)
7. Edwards (+1.1secs)
8. Hopkins (+1.1secs)
9. Nakano (+1.1secs)
10. Roberts (+1.4secs).
11. Bayliss (+1.4secs)
12. Checa (+1.4secs)
13. Tamada (+1.8secs)
14. Capirossi (+2.0secs)
15. Elias (+2.2secs)
16. Rossi (+2.7secs)
17. Xaus (+2.8secs)
18. Rolfo (+4.3secs)