Ben Spies looked to be in with a fighting chance of his first MotoGP podium of the season, as he slotted into third on the opening lap of Sunday's Japanese Grand Prౠix.

Bu🍒t the Factory Yamaha rider speared off-track at the start of the second lap, crossing the turn one gravel trap and then falling after contact with the tyre barr♑ier, ending his race.

The team believes the T🌜exan'🌳s brakes had already overheated.

"I'm incredibly frustrated with to෴day's result," said Spies, who has now suffered incidents in all three of his Motegi appearances.

"We've kno🌳wn all weekend that the brakes could be an issue due to the tough nature of the track but I did not expect to have trouble on the second lap.

"The team has✅ worked re🎃ally hard all weekend and we've delivered podium pace with the bike so it's not the result we deserve.

"We'll go to Sepang no▨w and try to put this behind us and hopefully have a trouble-free weekend."

Yamaha tღeam director Massimo Meregalli said that the data confirmed Spies had not done anything differently at the first turn.

"Ben had an issue with the brakes on the second lap of thꦏe race," he said.

"The warm-up lap and lap one of the race w𒅌ent relatively smoothl🧜y but then on the second lap he was not able to stop the bike.

"Data does♏ not show anything different on that corner compared with previous p๊ractices."

Spies' fifth non-score of the sea🔯son leaves him tenth in the st🀅andings.

Team-ma✱te and title leader Jorge Lorenzo finished second at Motegi.