"He also fought very hard with some of the top guys in this championship. His fight with Valentino was extra special and terrific to watch. Not a lot of guys get passed by Valentino and then pass him straight back, so it was incredible to see him do this.
"We were dreaming of a podium at one point but the way he rode, I think he gave the fans a really special show. It was a great way to celebrate his birthday and I think he gave himself a good present with that ride," Herve concluded.
Toseland's team-mate
Colin Edwards finished his 100th grand prix in eighth position.
"It is severely disappointing because I really believed that I could run up close to the podium today," said the Texan. "I was riding really hard so to finish eighth is frustrating. I felt like I was on the absolute limit at the pace I was running and it wasn't good enough. This isn't the way I wanted to celebrate my 100th grand prix, but congratulations to James. He rode a great race and I'll be looking for a lot more in Malaysia."
Sunday's result saw the Tech 3 Yamaha team move back into fourth place in the Teams' World Championship standings with two rounds to go.
