Marco Melandri finishes what may have been his last Ducati race in 16th after a painful mid-race incident

Marco Melandri had fought his forward from 15th to ninth within nine laps of Sunday's US Grand Prix but, in an incident that sums up his frustrating Ducati career, his progress was undone in an instant when he clipped a trackside marker.

"I hit a marker or something going into turn one and my hand came off the handlebar, so I couldn't get the bike turned," explained the Italian, who remounted to finish in 16th. "I took a heavy blow to my hand in the crash and needed a couple of laps to get back into the race because I wasn't sure how bad the injury was. The pain started to subside eventually but I was way back, lapping alone.

"I'm disappointed because after the first two or three laps I had a good pace together. It's a shame because it's another potentially good result ruined. I'm particularly sorry for the team because they have made a fantastic job and they deserved a good result," he added.

A decision regarding Melandri's future at Ducati is expected before the end of the summer break, at Brno on August 17.

The former MotoGP World Championship runner-up has taken just one top ten finish from the first eleven rounds and has already had his 2009 contract annulled by mutual consent.

The question now is whether Melandri will see at the remainder of 2008.

"Unfortunately Marco was really unlucky," said team director Livio Suppo. "It's a shame because he was setting a good pace."

Melandri's fastest race lap came on lap 25 of 32, after his injury, but was only twelfth fastest of the 18 riders present and 1.654secs slower than team-mate Casey Stoner's best.