Ducati rider Carlos Checa needed a record lap time at the Phillip Island circuit on Saturday to seal pole position for the first two races of the new World Superbikes season.

The 40-year-old Spaniard will start at the front of the grid for the two 22-lap races on Sunday after scorching around the Victorian seaside circuit in a time of 1min 30.234sec during the final qualifying sessions.

A four-time winner at Phillip Island, Checa will be joined on the front row by Aprilia pair Eugene Laverty (1:30.429) and Michel Fabrizio (1:30.581).

“It is a nice surprise to be here and in first position – we did not expect to be here with everything happening of the last few days,” said Checa, who crashed hard at turn six in Friday practice.

“I feel great on this track, and the new surface is getting better all the time. And we now have more speed mid-turn, but today is just Superpole.”

Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes and BMW’s Marco Melandri will sit on row two alongside Aprilia’s Sylvain Guintoli while the third row will be an all-British line-up of Leon Camier (Suzuki) and Honda teammates Leon Haslam and Jonathan Rea.

Australia’s Jamie Stauffer was 14th fastest after crashing his Honda during qualifying while compatriot Glenn Allerton on a BMW will start from 16th.

The opening races of the 14-event season are a chance to make a statement following the retirement of Italian legend Max Biaggi after winning the championship – the sixth of his famed 20-year career – last year.

Sykes, who finished just half a point behind Biaggi in 2012, is tipped to battle with Checa and Italian Melandri for the championship that concludes in November when the riders race in India for the first time.