Pedrosa crashes from the lead at Indy.

This is the moment when Dani Pedrosa's hopes of completing an American double came to end in Sunday's Indianapolis Grand Prix.

The dominant force all weekend, Pedrosa bolted into an early race lead, setting a pace that only Fiat Yamaha title leaders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo could match.

But it all came to an end on lap four, when Pedrosa lost the front of his Repsol Honda on entry to the tight final turn.

"I was confident for the race and of course I was hoping to win today. I was pushing very hard and perhaps I pushed too much," said Dani.

"There was some cloud cover today and maybe the front tyre was a little cooler than before, but whatever the reason, I made a mistake and lost the front.

"I'm sorry for the team because they've worked really hard for me, and also to the fans. I wanted to win in American again but it wasn't to be."

The Spaniard, winner of the first American round of the season at Laguna Seca, rejoined 17th and last, but clawed his way back up to tenth at the chequered flag.

"There was some damage to the bike - the handlebar was bent inwards and the footpeg was worn away quite badly, but actually I was able to recover and ride at a fast pace to take some points at the end," he continued.

"Six points is not much, but it's more than zero. Looking on the positive side, we've been very fast here and that means we can! take a lot of confidence to Misano next weekend."

Pedrosa is now just nine points behind the absent Casey Stoner for third in the world championship.