Alstare Brux Suzuki's Yukio Kagayama has shocked the World Superbike paddock at Miller Motorsport Park by posting the fastest time in the opening free practice today.
And to add one shock to another, BMW's Troy Corser set the second fastest time with his final lap of the session, which was only four one-thousandths of a second slower than the Japanese on a 1'51.360.
Last year's double winner Carlos Checa, on the Ten Kate Honda, was third quickest after spending most of the 50-minute session swapping lap times with Yamaha's Ben Spies, whose home advantage clearly isn't as big as anyone imagined.
It took Checa 15 minutes to go quicker than Spies when he lowered the bar to 1'51.691 and then promptly went quicker again on his next lap, slicing three-tenths off his previous best.
Kiyo and Kagayama swapped lap times and second place a few times until Spies came out with 17 minutes to go and stole second with a 1'51.475 lap which he bettered to a 51.374 a few laps later.
With just two minutes to go, Kagayama deposed Checa from the top spot with his fastest time and then Corser, who had been mid-pack at best for most of the session, popped in his 1'51.360.
Sterilgarda Ducati's Shane Byrne was the fastest British rider with a lap that was good enough for sixth and that was just in front of today's third shock of Luca Scassa lapping fastest enough for seventh.
The Xerox Ducatis of Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio are eighth and ninth, just half a second off the pace, while AMA regular Jamie Hacking is in tenth on the Paul Bird Kawasaki.
It wasn't a good session for the rest of the British riders. Jonathan Rea could only manage 13th, Leon Haslam 18th, Tommy Hill 21st and Tom Sykes in 23rd.
