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Andrea Dovizioso reckons he should have been able to fight for the podium at Indianapolis today, had he not taken a gamble with his Michelin tyres.

The JiR Honda rider admitted after the race that his bike had been fitted with tyres he had not previously tried in previous sessions, and the rear was not to his satisfaction.

The Italian rookie managed to get in the lead for the first time in his career during the first lap after starting seventh, but was soon overtaken by Repsol Honda's Nicky Hayden - also on Michelins - and Fiat Yamaha's Valentino Rossi.

He ultimately finished the race in a distant fifth place, while the other two former world champions finished second and first respectively.

"I wanted at all costs to lead at least a lap before the end of the season, so I made it," Dovizioso told Italia1 television.

"In these conditions a fifth place is fine because it was really hard, especially after ten laps when a strong wind came.

"I can't be 100 percent happy, however, because we started the race with two tyres we never tried before, we risked a lot, and unfortunately the rear wasn't going very well. At the start it was ok, but as soon as Hayden and especially Valentino started to go quick, there was nothing I could do.

"It's a shame, because I think I could have given trouble at least to Hayden. By contrast the front tyre was good, but I couldn't get into corners aggressively because I was losing grip."