It didn't take him long. With just minutes remaining in the first free practice, Troy Bayliss has bettered Troy Corser's lap record at Phillip Island, posting a 1:32.997 on his second to the last lap.

Pitting in the closing stages of the first session, Bayliss' crew threw a soft Michelin on the rear of the Ducati 998, and off he charged.

This has certainly started the psychological war with the rest of his rivals (and team-mate Xaus) with his closest rival on the timesheets being Colin Edwards, the American is 0.643 seconds away with Haga and Bostrom rounding out the fastest four.

While Bayliss has the quickest time, it's Haga who is fastest down the chute, with a top speed of 297.5kph. Bayliss is sixth fastest at 288kph!