An eventful Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand saw Valentino Rossi’s conflict with Marc Marquez reach an explosive conclusion.

Tension between Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha) and Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) had been rapidly building since the pre-race press conference on Thursday, reaching an explosive end in the race. Rossi had made a solid start to the race and found himself in third with title rival Jorge Lorenzo trapped behind two Ducatis. Lorenzo eventually broke free and passed Rossi, the Italian then falling into the clutches of Marquez. As predicted the battle was fierce as the passed each other multiple times, allowing Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) to escape in the distance.

On lap six the two touched through Turn 14 and Marquez went down, Rossi having altered his line to try and improve his exit speed. The incident was immediately flagged for review by Race Direction for after the race. It was then a solitary race for Rossi in third, unchallenged by any other riders and unable to close on the leaders. After the race Rossi was awarded three penalty points, bringing him to a total of four and will therefore start the final race of the year in Valencia from last on the grid. With Lorenzo claiming second, Rossi’s lead is cut to just seven points.

Valentino Rossi:

Rossi has been awarded 3 penalty points and will start at the back of the grid at the Valencia GP