23:01:30

UPDATE 1-Motor racing-Hamilton on pole for US Grand Prix

INDIANAPOLIS, June 16 (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton captured his second pole position in a row at the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday to put more pressure on McLaren team mate Fernando Alonso.

The British rookie, who celebrated his first Formula One pole in Canada last weekend, pipped double world champion Alonso in final qualifying on another sizzling hot day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Sunday's race will be the third in a row with an all-McLaren front row. Championship leader Hamilton, the winner in Montreal, leads Alonso by eight points in the championship after six races.

After struggling in the last two races, Ferrari returned to form by sweeping the second row with Brazil's Felipe Massa clocking the third fastest effort followed by Finland's Kimi Raikkonen.

18:21:05

Honda denies talk of interest in Harley

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Honda Motor Co. (7267.T: Quote, Profile, Research) has denied it is looking to buy Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG.N: Quote, Profile, Research), rumors of which had sent the U.S. motorcycle maker's shares surging in New York on Friday.

"There's absolutely no truth to it," Honda spokeswoman Makiko Yoshida said in Tokyo on Monday.

Despite skepticism from analysts and market participants, Harley-Davidson shares and options surged, with 58,535 options changing hands on Friday -- more than 14 times the daily average, according to figures from market research firm Track Data.

Its share price gained as much as 6.4 percent before closing Friday's session up $2.43, or about 4 percent, at $62.55 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Shares in Honda, the world's biggest motorcycle maker, reacted little in Tokyo, ending up 0.5 percent on Monday at 4,420 yen.