Jack Miller has given local fans a taste of Moto3 success, leaping to the top of the time charts in Friday's afternoon practice session for the Australian motorcycle Grand Prix.
Miller landed a psychological blow over title rival Alex Marquez with a 1:37.033 lap late in the session.
The 19-year-old experimented with different set-ups through the practice day, spending much of the session sitting well down the order.
But the knockabout Townsville rider put his name at the top of the field with his second-last lap, then celebrated with wheelies for the Phillip Island crowd.
Miller foreshadowed more improvement.
"We can be happy with the work from today - it's been a productive day," he said.
"The tyres weren't new when we did the good time, so I feel we are heading to a good place but we still have a lot more work to do before we're ready for the race."
While Miller won the afternoon session, his time was narrowly behind Briton Danny Kent's morning effort of 1:36.906.
Kent was the only man to crack through the one minute 37 second barrier during the day, with Marquez further back in the field.
The Spaniard, who leads Miller by 25 points in the title race, finished tenth in the second session with 1:37.529.
The Australian Moto3 class is hosting two other Australians as wildcards, with both showing their mettle during practice.
In his second Moto3 ride, Remy Gardner gave team bosses a glimpse of his pace.
The 16-year-old son of world champion Wayne Gardner improved his morning ride by half a second, finishing 23rd for the session.
Gardner is keen to grab a regular Moto3 ride and has set himself up neatly for a strong weekend, with qualifying on Saturday ahead of Sunday's race.
South Australian Olly Simpson, making his grand prix debut after receiving a wildcard for the Australian race, also improved markedly.
The 16-year-old had to retire after a crash off Lukey Heights in the morning but found his rhythm in the afternoon, finishing 28th of 34 riders.
He said his crash hadn't diminished his enjoyment of the experience - or his confidence.
"It's the best, with your home crowd and all that," he said.
"(Crashes) are bound to happen. You always come off - it's just part of racing."
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