Australian Ryan Briscoe won the pole position for the 96th Indianapolis 500, edging Canada's James Hinchcliffe in qualifying session for the May 27 oval IndyCar classic.
Briscoe on Saturday turned in a four-lap qualifying speed average of 226.484 mph around the famed 2 1/2-mile (4km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then watched from his car as Hinchcliffe and American Ryan Hunter-Reay tried in vain to overtake him.
"This is huge," Briscoe said. "Man I'm happy. This is unbelievable. Those four laps were so consistent. Whew. Getting the pole at Indy, it feels good to get my first one here."
Briscoe will start on the inside of the front row with Hinchcliffe, who was second-best by an eyelash at 226.481 mph, alongside him and Hunter-Reay on the outside after a run of 226.240 mph.
A total of 24 spots in the 33-car field for the race were available in Saturday's time trials session, with the final three rows of three cars to be filled in Sunday's last day of qualifying.
The top six cars and nine of the top 10 were Chevrolet powered, US rookie Josef Newgarden's Honda the only other motor to crack the first three rows.
The nine fastest drivers from the open qualifying period, where spots 10-24 in the field were determined, were given the last 90 minutes to decide the pole and Briscoe made a fast run early to make himself the man to beat on a hot day.
"We've just been working on the consistency," Broscoe said. "We knew in this heat that was going to be the key, to not have a dropoff from lap one to lap four."
Hinchcliffe made a run at the pole and had superior speed until the final two turns of his last lap, when his average dipped just below Briscoe's car.
"Those four laps of Hinch-Town's, I was really shaking," Briscoe said. "When I found out he didn't knock us off the pole, it was a great feeling. I feel bad for him. But I'm really proud. This is a big one to win."
Hunter-Reay made a run to take third and Hinchcliffe tried again but came away slower as Briscoe secured his spot.
"Race day is what matters," Hunter-Reay said. "I think it's going to be one of the most exciting races we have had in a long time."
American Marco Andretti, Australian season series points leader Will Power and Brazil's Helio Castroneves, a three-time Indy 500 winner, will start in the second row. Newgarden, Brazil's Tony Kanaan and Venezuela's E.J. Viso are in row three.
Kanaan was forced to make a second run in the open qualifying session after his car failed a technical inspection for failing to have a weight device in his rear-view mirror, making his car slightly lighter than his rivals.
"It was hard enough to do the first four (laps). The second four, it was really tough," Kanaan said. "It's a very stressful day.
"I'm all for the rules but something like that that doesn't make your car go any quicker."
Formula One veteran but Indy 500 newcomer Rubens Barrichello of Brazil will start on the inside of row four after qualifying 10th.
"Even though I have 19 years of experience, it just brings a lot of emotion," he said. "There's a lot of adrenaline when you are waiting to sit down in the car and go."
Michel Jourdain Jnr, a 35-year-old Mexican who had not raced at Indy since finishing 13th in 1996, qualified 22nd overall at 222.893 mph.
US rookie Brian Clauson crashed in the first turn on a qualifying attempt and Spain's Oriol Servia lost control in the fourth turn and crashed at the entrance to the pit lane.
Neither driver was seriously injured. Both look to qualify Sunday.
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