(CNN) -- Alvaro Bautista will start a MotoGP race from first on the grid for the first time in his short top-level career after outshining motorcycling's big names in qualifying for Sunday's British Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old gave the San Carlo Honda Gresini team its first pole position since the late Marco Simoncelli topped the timesheets at Assen just over a year ago.
The Spaniard, whose best race finish is fifth since his debut in motorcycling's elite class in 2010, headed off Yamaha's American rider Ben Spies and Repsol Honda's world champion Casey Stoner at Silverstone on Saturday.
It is the first time since that Dutch race last June that pole has not been won by Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo or Dani Pedrosa
Honda's world champion Casey Stoner won 10 of the 17 completed races in MotoGP last season, including the finale in Valencia. He is hoping to retain his Qatar race title in Sunday's season opener.
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"I'm really happy for myself and also pleased for the team. This pole position hasn't happened by coincidence -- it is the fruit of a lot of hard work from all the guys who have all been giving 100% and sometimes a little more," Bautista.
"The conditions today were strange and difficult but we managed to find a good setting, I was up front for the whole session and set my fastest lap on my own.
"It started to rain for the last few minutes and nobody was able to improve their time but I still had a fresh tire to use and made a couple of mistakes on my best lap, so could have gone faster too. Tomorrow I start on pole and have a good race pace, so hopefully we can convert it into a good result."
Series leader Lorenzo will head the second row for Yamaha, almost half a second off Bautista's fastest time, with Honda's Pedrosa fourth and another Spaniard -- Hector Barbera on a Ducati -- setting the fifth quickest lap.
American rider Nicky Hayden was seventh fastest, with his seven-time world champion teammate Valentino Rossi back in 10th after another disappointing session.
Lorenzo, the 2010 world champion, leads Stoner by 20 points in the championship standings after winning three of five races so far this season -- including the last two in France and Catalunya.
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Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo finished second at Japanese Grand Prix in October -- and second overall as the Spaniard relinquished his world title to Stoner. A finger injury ruled him out of the last three races.
Honda's Andrea Dovizioso will be seeking his first race victory since his maiden win in 2009. The Italian placed third overall last year after registering seven podium placings.
Another Honda rider, Dani Pedrosa, was fourth in 2011 after missing three races due to a fractured collarbone at the French Grand Prix in May. The Spaniard was runner-up to Lorenzo in 2010.
Seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi will seek to improve on a disappointing first season at Ducati, having ended 2011 in seventh place.
American rider Ben Spies was Rossi's replacement at Yamaha's main team last year, and the 27-year-old won a race for the first time in the Netherlands and finished fifth overall.
Rossi's teammate Nicky Hayden was a world champion with Honda in 2006, but finished eighth last year and crashed in the final race. The 30-year-old American is starting his fourth season at the Italian team.
Britain's Cal Crutchlow was a big success in the World Superbike series, but struggled after taking the step up to MotoGP last year with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team.
Hiroshi Aoyama was the top Japanese rider in MotoGP last year. The 30-year-old finished the season 10th for the San Carlo Honda Gresini team.
Spanish rider Hector Barbera has switched to the Pramac Racing team for 2012 after two years at Ducati, where he finished 12th and then 11th overall.
Young Czech rider Karel Abraham will be embarking on his second season in MotoGP. The 22-year-old was 14th overall for Ducati last year.
The starting grid will be less colorful this year due to the absence of charismatic Italian rider Marco Simoncelli, who died after crashing at the Malaysian Grand Prix in October.
Motorsport fans gather outside the theater in the Italian town. The 24-year-old MotoGP rider died following a crash in Malaysia on Sunday.
People queue to see Simoncelli's coffin and pay their final respects to their late hero.
"I decided to take my license for bikes, because I was tired of going around only with 125cc bikes. I was so happy with my new driving license. After two days it was already revoked..."
"There is this legend about all drivers, I mean, having affairs with umbrella girls. But I never got one ... Because they arrive in the morning when, oh Mary, when you are so tense for the race, and you don't think so much about chicks, you are focused on the race. Then when the race is over and maybe it went good and, oh Mary, and you are high and maybe you want to party ... well they have already left, and you stay there by yourself."
"I feel like a pig at Christmas."
"Okay, sometimes I cut my hair, but only when they break my balls."
"I see some friends of mine finishing school, and not even they know what to do of their life, whether to go university or to work. But I think that one thing that helps us live in a more daring way is to have a target. It can be whatever, sport or job. But Good Lord if you have in mind a target, something to reach, I believe that helps you carry on fearlessly."
"I was 14 years old and I was riding my dad's big scooter up and down the path to home. And my mom was so worried: 'Good Lord, slow down, your aunt will arrive on the other side, take care.' Me, what do I care about my aunt ... So I was going full speed down. The aunt arrived ... I only had the time to see the white outline of her Opel appearing. I had the quickness of reflex to hit her car head on."
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