Valentino Rossi will have to wait at least another week to claim the MotoGP world title for the fifth year in a row after crashing out of the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.
Ducati's Loris Capirossi won the race -- his first victory since Barcelona in 2003 -- ahead of his fellow Italian Max Biaggi, while Japan's Makoto Tamada followed his win here for Honda last year with third place.
Yamaha rider Rossi needed a top-two finish to be certain of winning the title with five races remaining in the season but made contact with Marco Melandri's back wheel as the two Italians battled it out for third place on lap 13 of 24.
The impact sent both skittling into the gravel trap and out of the race. Melandri was carted off on a stretcher while Rossi returned to the pits on the back of a scooter.
"I made good start from the fourth row of the grid and was catching Marco in third place after he made a couple of mistakes," said Rossi. "Under braking I just clipped his rear wheel and we both crashed. I hope he is not in too much pain..."
Melandri was taken to hospital for checks after sustaining cuts and a compound wound of his right heel.
It was Rossi's first race crash of the season and first in nearly a year since the Qatar Grand Prix last October. An official complaint to race officials from Honda was not upheld.
Rossi, who has won nine of the 12 races this season, will now take his quest for a seventh world crown to Sepang next weekend with a 112-point lead in the standings.
To secure the championship, the 26-year-old has only to make sure Biaggi does not outscore him by 14 points or more. In any case, fourth place or better will secure Rossi the title.
"Malaysia is one of my favourite tracks," Rossi said. "I'm very confident about the result in Malaysia but we shall see."
Capirossi, who started from pole, took the lead from Biaggi on the 19th of 24 laps and although Biaggi made several attempts to re-take the lead, he was rebuffed at every turn and the Ducati took the chequered flag 1.479 seconds in front.
"I'm really happy about today, but not only about today, about the whole week," said Capirossi. "We did a great job all weekend ... and it's a fantastic day."
BRIDGESTONE ADVANTAGE
Biaggi said he had done as well as could considering the advantage Capirossi's Bridgestone tyres gave him.
"I think we are the first Michelin guy up there," he said. "I tried my best and you know second was the best I could do."
Tamada was delighted with his first podium of a disappointing, injury-blighted season.
"I know that this year has not been the best season for me, so I'm happy to finally get a result," he said.
Earlier, Finn Mika Kallio won a 125cc race that had to be stopped after 15 laps when Honda's championship leader Thomas Luthi was involved in a crash with Spain's Sergio Gadea.
As the race was red-flagged Swiss Luthi, who dislocated his shoulder and cut both ankles, was awarded second place and tops the riders standings by three points from KTM's Kallio.
Japan's Hiroshi Aoyama gave the 68,000 home fans something to shout about -- and Honda their only victory of the weekend on their home circuit -- when he won the 250cc race ahead of Spain's championship leader Dani Pedrosa.
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