Ben Spies won his first MotoGP pole Saturday at the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. (Larry Lawrence photo)

Rookie MotoGP rider Ben Spies rode his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 M1 to his debut MotoGP pole position in qualifying for the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, with Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo and another American in Nicky Hayden completing the front row.

It marked the first time two Americans qualified on the front row of a MotoGP race since Portugal in 2006, when Nicky Hayden and Colin Edwards qualified second and third.

Spies posted a best time of 1’40.105 on his 26th of 28 laps, delighting the home crowd and enjoying another highlight in what has already been an eventful weekend following confirmation of his factory ride for 2011.

“It means a lot to me to score my first pole in an American race,” said Spies, last year’s World Superbike Champion, who hails from Dallas. “On my fast lap I put it all out there. There was nothing left. I hope I can carry this momentum with me into tomorrow’s race.”

Spies was 0.220s quicker than Championship leader and last year’s race winner Jorge Lorenzo who took his Fiat Yamaha M1 machine round in the second fastest time, and there was further joy for the American fans as Nicky Hayden took his first Ducati front-row place with third. Hayden was just a hundredth of a second behind Lorenzo on the timesheet in a typically action-packed and frantic hour-long session.