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Vermeulen on pole for U.S. MotoGP
 Vermuelen will start the U.S. MotoGP in pole after upstaging the favorites. LOS ANGELES -- Australia's Chris Vermeulen upstaged the MotoGP championship favorites by grabbing pole position for the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday. Vermeulen blitzed round the undulating 3.61km Laguna Seca circuit in one minute, 23.32 seconds, clocking the fastest time ahead of a pair of charging Americans Colin Edwards and Kenny Roberts Jr. American world championship leader Nicky Hayden, who claimed his maiden win from pole on the California circuit a year ago, had could do no better than the sixth fastest lap on his Honda. Italian Valentino Rossi, who trails Hayden by 26 points in the standings, again produced a poor qualifying effort as he laboured to the 10th best time. He should not be too worried, however, after coming from well back to score strong finishes in his last two races. Rossi underlined his determination to lift a sixth world title last week, surging through the field from his qualifying position of 11th to take a second straight win on the twisting Sachsenring circuit in Germany. Two weeks earlier at the British Grand Prix, the flamboyant Italian also had the bit between his teeth when he stormed from 12th to take second place on the podium behind Honda's Spanish rookie Dani Pedrosa. 
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