Ben Spies does not believe his poor opening lap affected his Indy GP finishing spot

The Yamaha rider started second, but made a poor getaway and was then shuffled back to ninth after being pushed wide by Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso at Turn 4 on the opening lap.

A fine ride through the pack resulted in the American passing his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo for the final podium spot at just beyond half-distance.

"It's always the story," he said. "It could have been different is something else would have happened, but the race is what it is.

"We didn't make the greatest start. It felt like an okay start but it didn't add up getting out of Turn 1 and me and Dovi made some contact in Turn 4 and that was our race. At least it was pretty interesting.

"The result could have been a bit different, but it wouldn't have changed much. Just might have made it a little easier to come through the pack."

Spies gained a place in the championship as a result of his third podium finish of the year and now lies fifth overall, one place ahead of Valentino Rossi.