Wet-weather expert Anthony West was quickest in Friday's free practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit.

Conditions at the world-famous venue, which is hosting MotoGP for the first time, were difficult under threatening skies caused by Hurricane Ike.

Riders were forced to negotiate their way around the numerous puddles that had formed on the track, but that did not seem to trouble West who clocked the fastest times of both sessions.

Kawasaki rider West's morning session time of one minute 53.034 seconds proved to be the best of the day as the pace slowed in the afternoon as the weather deteriorated.

Honda's Alex de Angelis was the next quickest, a tenth of a second behind West, who is looking to impress as he seeks a ride for next season.

The enigmatic Australian has struggled for consistency this season - he lies 18th in the overall standings - however with the forecast showing no signs of improvement for Saturday's qualification session, West could be well placed to make an impression.

Reigning world champion, Casey Stoner, finished the day with the third quickest time on his Honda although he fell foul of the conditions, suffering a spill during the morning session.

Stoner has crashed out of the past two races to fall 75 points behind championship leader Valentino Rossi who eased his way around the Indianapolis circuit on Friday.

While the Italian's morning-session time was the 11th fastest of the day, he was the fourth quickest in the afternoon to show signs he was coming to terms with the new circuit.

Andrea Dovizioso was the best of the Michelin riders, finishing the day with the fourth best time, while Dani Pedrosa, using Bridgestone's rain tyres for the first time, was the only rider to improve on his morning session.

The Spaniard's best time, however, was some four seconds slower than West to leave him as the lowest ranked rider.