Capirossi rues missed opportunity

The Ducati GP7 appeared to be the ideal package for the Losail circuit, with a notable advantage on the long main straight.

While Stoner used this attribute to storm past Valentino Rossi and into the lead at the end of the first lap, Capirossi lost ground at the start and only recovered to fifth before losing the front end of his bike on lap six.

"My start was not so bad, but later on someone touched me and I went wide then I lost a lot of positions," he told BBC television.

"Then I tried to push really hard and when I pushed too much I lost the front tyre and I crashed.

"It was really bad for me because this track is pretty good for our tyre and bike. I had a really good opportunity today."

Team manager Livio Suppo agreed that Capirossi had lost a potentially excellent result.

"It was a shame for Loris as we could have put two guys on the podium today," he said.