"Hopefully we can put on a good show tomorrow and not let this guy [Stoner] disappear. A podium would be great, but to try to fight with Casey would be a long shot. We never give up, anything can happen when we line up, so we'll come in here, try to have fun, try my hardest and I know I'll have plenty of support. I'm looking forward to it," added Hayden, who lapped 0.730secs behind Stoner.
"Nicky did a good job today, conquering his second front row of the season," said team manager Kazuhiko Yamano. "He did a good job with qualifying tyres but also his rhythm with race tyres is not too bad, so we are confident and we will try. We know that the race will be tough as there are many strong riders but Nicky is very motivated, the support of the American fans is incredible and we will fight for the win."
World championship leader
Valentino Rossi will join Stoner and Hayden on the front row of the grid.
Hayden's team-mate
Dani Pedrosa withdrew from this weekend's event on Saturday morning due to the injuries he sustained in last Sunday's Germany GP (see separate story).
