Two-times World Superbike Champion Troy Corser has expressed surprise at his speed on the new BMW S1000RR at Portugal's Portimao track, given he is not yet comfortable on the bike.

The veteran Australian set the fastest time during Saturday's wet session and was 11th quickest overall, just a second off Shane Byrne's frecord-breaking pace.

"Overall, it’s not been too bad a test, though we could’ve all done with better weather and more dry track time. We had a chance to get through some of the stuff we hadn’t managed to test before, including different links and geometry settings," said Corser.

"The clutch is now fine and our main area of work here was to get the throttle response the way I want it. We just need to smooth it out a bit, but these are early days with the bike and we all know that we have a lot to do.

"Once we do that, I will be more comfortable on the bike and be able to push a lot harder. But I am already pleasantly surprised at how quickly I can go even though I’m not completely comfortable on the bike and that bodes well for the future.

"I did my best lap on race rubber and although we could’ve done with more general practice instead of trying out a new Superpole procedure, in a way it was quite good giving it a try-out because we all learned a lot about what has to be done and how quickly it has to be done. I hope our next test is dry and we can keep up our good progress."