Dovizioso reckons podium was possible

JiR Scot Honda rider Dovizioso ended the race as part of a huge battle for fourth with Lorenzo, James Toseland and Shinya Nakano.

"I feel I made a tremendous race," said Dovizioso. "If I had not had to recover from last after being pushed off the track at the start, we could have had a podium.

"At the start I kept on the left for the first turn, Lorenzo was almost alongside me and then he moved outside. This resulted in me finishing on the grass.

"From here I started a great comeback, even if in those first laps I could not push 100 per cent, but instead I followed Valentino Rossi who also had the pace to gain positions."

Toseland spent most of the race at the head of the group Rossi and Dovizioso ultimately joined, and the Italian was critical of the Briton's riding.

"With Lorenzo we could have moved towards third position, but Toseland was too aggressive and a little dangerous while fighting for the lead of the group," said Dovizioso.

"The last ten laps the tyres were finished and I was not able to push anymore. At one of the corners, I had to go wide to avoid Toseland, who I was lining up to overtake, but because of this Nakano made it past us both. I am sorry to have lost the fourth place because it was a reality today."

Team boss Gianluca Montiron was delighted with Dovizioso's performance, but warned that hanging on to his current fifth place in the riders' standings would be hard with factory Honda rider Nicky Hayden - who has taken two podiums in the last three rounds - closing in.

"Andrea's stubborn never-say-die attitude showed strongly in that race," said Montiron.

"In the championship we are still fifth, with a gap of fourteen points on Nicky Hayden, who has a technical advantage over us, so it will be challenging in the last two races to defend our position."