Unheralded Austrian Robert Lechner made a mockery of the form book by grabbing pole position in an exciting final qualifying session for tomorrow's 45th Macau Grand Prix.
Runner-up in this year's German Formula Three Championship, the 20-year-old was making his debut on the 6.3-kilometre street circuit against a host of rivals who have raced here before.
In a session which featured two stoppages after crashes, Lechner unleashed his quick lap of two minutes and 15.962 seconds with only nine minutes left in the 45-minute session.
He upstaged experienced British campaigner Peter Dumbreck, in a Tom's Dallara Toyota, who clocked 2:16.285 only moments earlier.
And soon after, Dumbreck, regarded by many as race favourite, found himself demoted to third place on the grid for the two-leg, 30-lap final when Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi eked out a 2:16.039 from his Promotecme Dallara Renault-RS.
Clearly stunned by his performance, Lechner was at a loss to explain his unexpected success behind the wheel of his GM-DSF FS Team Dallara Opel-Spiess.