The Yamaha Motor Italia rider was on course to improve on his personal best, when he was forced to slow down because of a kangaroo on the track! The large marsupial was right in the middle of the track and its presence was enough to destroy any chance Corser had of bettering his best time.
But, even without the wildlife, Corser left the Australian test with plenty of things to think about.
"Well, it's not been too bad, but I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't able to go any quicker - and not just because of the 'roo!" said the former double world champion, who finished the test seventh fastest. "We solved one particular problem today - which was good - but it threw up another problem, and that is to be solved. We've done a lot of work on the rear suspension and linkages, probably more than we've ever done before, trying to get better grip. Also we're trying to get the power curve a bit more usable because the bike feels a bit peaky at the moment - and that's something you don't need at a track like Phillip Island.
"Considering I felt I was struggling a bit with the bike, to finish just half a second off is not so bad. The track is definitely more bumpy then last year and that means we have to work a lot harder to get the set-up right. That's hard enough, but then the very high temperatures meant that we also had grip problems, so that was something else to sort out.
"Just before my 'fast lap' I saw a marshal waving a yellow flag, but I couldn't see any bikes on the track, just a couple of geese. But on the next lap, I saw why he had waved the flag, because there was a wallaby on the track [not a kangaroo!]. It was the biggest wallaby I'd ever seen and it was in the middle of the track, so that was it for my 'fast lap'. I don't think our next racetrack - Qatar - has any 'roos or wallabies, so I guess I should be safe enough there!" he smiled.
Corser's former Alstare Suzuki team-mate
Yukio Kagayama set the fastest lap at the test, while current team-mate
Noriyuki Haga was one place and 0.3secs in front of Troy.
