diff --git a/client/mysqltest.c b/client/mysqltest.c
index 32fb44d178e..7dae99efde3 100644
--- a/client/mysqltest.c
+++ b/client/mysqltest.c
@@ -1081,7 +1081,7 @@ int do_sync_with_master2(const char* p)
   MYSQL_ROW row;
   MYSQL* mysql = &cur_con->mysql;
   char query_buf[FN_REFLEN+128];
-  int offset = 0;
+  int offset= 0, tries= 0;
   int rpl_parse;
 
   if (!master_pos.file[0])
@@ -1096,6 +1096,9 @@ int do_sync_with_master2(const char* p)
 
   sprintf(query_buf, "select master_pos_wait('%s', %ld)", master_pos.file,
 	  master_pos.pos + offset);
+
+wait_for_position:
+
   if (mysql_query(mysql, query_buf))
     die("line %u: failed in %s: %d: %s", start_lineno, query_buf,
 	mysql_errno(mysql), mysql_error(mysql));
@@ -1106,8 +1109,20 @@ int do_sync_with_master2(const char* p)
   if (!(row = mysql_fetch_row(res)))
     die("line %u: empty result in %s", start_lineno, query_buf);
   if (!row[0])
-    die("line %u: could not sync with master ('%s' returned NULL)", 
-        start_lineno, query_buf);
+  {
+    /*
+      It may be that the slave SQL thread has not started yet, though START
+      SLAVE has been issued ?
+    */
+    if (tries++ == 3)
+    {
+      die("line %u: could not sync with master ('%s' returned NULL)", 
+          start_lineno, query_buf);
+    }
+    sleep(1); /* So at most we will wait 3 seconds and make 4 tries */
+    mysql_free_result(res);
+    goto wait_for_position;
+  }
   mysql_free_result(res);
   last_result=0;
   if (rpl_parse)
diff --git a/mysql-test/r/rpl_server_id2.result b/mysql-test/r/rpl_server_id2.result
index d665bb25dbb..1b5d946998c 100644
--- a/mysql-test/r/rpl_server_id2.result
+++ b/mysql-test/r/rpl_server_id2.result
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ reset master;
 reset slave;
 drop table if exists t1,t2,t3,t4,t5,t6,t7,t8,t9;
 slave start;
-drop table if exists t1;
 create table t1 (n int);
 reset master;
 stop slave;
diff --git a/mysql-test/t/rpl_server_id2.test b/mysql-test/t/rpl_server_id2.test
index dc8f733b7ed..7bbac358ada 100644
--- a/mysql-test/t/rpl_server_id2.test
+++ b/mysql-test/t/rpl_server_id2.test
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 
 source include/master-slave.inc;
 connection slave;
-drop table if exists t1;
 create table t1 (n int);
 reset master;
 # replicate ourselves