Indianapolis podium joy for Dovizioso

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

Following rostrum finishes in Barcelona, Assen, Chemnitz and Mugello, Dovizioso finished behind Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo at the weekend to maintain his status as the competition's top non-factory rider.

Currently fourth in the points standings behind Lorenzo, Pedrosa and reigning world champion Casey Stoner, the Italian believes his success this season is a testament to the work his team are currently doing.

"This podium is once again confirmation of our great work as a team," he said on the official MotoGP website. "I am really proud of the support I get from all my crew in the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team.

"For us, a podium is always like a victory and of course I'm really happy but I think we still can do better. But honestly, I didn't expect to be so strong at this track."

Starting from the front row of the group, Dovizioso was locked in an enthralling battle with Stoner but eventually streaked away from the Australian, although he was still not completely satisfied with his race.

"Unfortunately I could not push as hard as I would have liked to at the beginning of the race, so I lost a bit of time and could not stay with the leading group," the 26-year-old added.

"I also want to pay tribute to Casey today [Sunday] because he delivered a brilliant performance. Physically, he wasn't in the best shape but it was still very hard to beat him."

Dovizioso will be looking to continue his fine form this week end at the Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno.