Phillip Island, Oct 20: MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi overcomes a 10-second penalty to win his third successive Australian Grand Prix
Italy's MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi overcame a 10-second penalty to win his third successive Australian Grand Prix in brilliant style on Phillip Island on Sunday (October 19). Pole sitter Rossi took the lead in the fifth lap of the 27-lap race and soon established a three-second lead but was handed a 10-second penalty for overtaking under a yellow flag. Stung by the penalty, the impish Rossi blitzed around the track and with four laps remaining, he was 10.392 seconds ahead, not including his penalty. The Honda rider eventually won by the official margin of 5.212 seconds ahead of Italy's Ducati rider Loris Capirossi and American Nicky Hayden.


Rossi, 24, who has won eight of the 15 races this year, clinched his third successive world title with two rounds to spare by winning last week's Malaysian Grand Prix.


Rossi's 21 consecutive podium finishes in the premier class place him one behind compatriot Giacomo Agostini's record of 22.


Rossi's 32 premier class grand prix victories put him one ahead of American Eddie Lawson's tally and he now lags behind only Agostini (68), Australia's Mick Doohan (54) and Britain's Mike Hailwood (37).



Italy's Roberto Rolfo moved to outright second in the 250cc standings and kept the world championship fight alive with a glorious victory.


The 23-year-old Honda rider held his advantage over the closing five laps of the 25-lap race to beat Australia's Aprilia rider Anthony West by a comfortable margin of 14 seconds with Spain's Fonsi Nieto third.


San Marino's Manuel Poggiali, who slipped back from eighth to ninth as he approached the finish line on the drying Phillip Island track, has 233 points, seven ahead of Rolfo.


A further 25 points are up for grabs in the final race of the season at Valencia on November 2.


Spain's Aprilia rider Toni Elias, who was the pole sitter and was tied in second place on 201 points with Rolfo before Sunday's penultimate race, could not hide his disappointment after collecting just five points with his 11th placing to end his title aspirations for the season.


Italy's Andrea Ballerini shook his head in amazement as he claimed his first victory in the 125cc race. The 30-year-old Honda rider qualified in 23rd place but handled the wet conditions in fine style as 10 of his rivals crashed out and only 17 of the 33 riders completed the 23-lap race.


Ballerini, who made his debut in 1995 and had won no points in the first 14 rounds of this season, beat Japan's Honda rider Masao Azuma by 8.849 seconds with Germany's Aprilia rider Steve Jenkner in third place.


Early race leaders, Italy's Stefano Perugini and Australia's Casey Stoner, were among those to slide off the Phillip Island track, 130 km south-east of Melbourne.


Ballerini looked over his shoulder then punched the air in delight as he crossed the line and later choked back tears during the presentation ceremony.


Spain's Daniel Pedrosa won the 125cc championship with victory in last week's Malaysian Grand Prix. The 18-year-old Honda rider, who has 223 points, broke both ankles when he crashed during a morning practice session on Friday and will not ride again this season.


San Marino's Aprilia rider Alex De Angelis, who finished seventh on Sunday, jumped ahead of Perugini to second in the standings with 166 points. The Italian has 159.


Placings at the Australian motorcycling Grand Prix: MotoGP (27 laps, 120.096 km): 1. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Honda 41 minutes 53.543 seconds (average speed 172.006 kph) 2. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Ducati 41:58.755 3. Nicky Hayden (U.S.) Honda 42:05.582 4. Sete Gibernau (Spain) Honda 42:05.613 5. Tohru Ukawa (Japan) Honda 42:05.837 6. Olivier Jacque (France) Yamaha 42:21.560 7. Shinya Nakano (Japan) Yamaha 42:21.587 8. Carlos Checa (Spain) Yamaha 42:33.655 9. Kenny Roberts (U.S.) Suzuki 42:34.953 10. Makoto Tamada (Japan) Honda 42:43.445 11. Jeremy McWilliams (Britain) Proton KR 42:44.803 12. John Hopkins (U.S.) Suzuki 42:47.644 13. Garry McCoy (Australia) Kawasaki 42:48.322 14. Noriyuki Haga (Japan) Aprilia 42:55.063 15. Andrew Pitt (Australia) Kawasaki 42:59.623 16. Colin Edwards (U.S.) Aprilia 43:00.173 17. Max Biaggi (Italy) Honda 43:07.546 18. Nobuatsu Aoki (Japan) Proton KR 41:51.191 19. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Japan) Honda 42:09.784 20. Chris Burns (Britain) Harris WCM 42:42.848


Not classified: Marco Melandri (Italy) Yamaha 13 laps Alex Barros (Brazil) Yamaha 18 laps Troy Bayliss (Australia) Ducati 24 laps Not finished first lap: David De Gea (Spain) Harris WCM


Leading world championship standings: 1. Rossi 332 points 2. Giberneau 257 3. Biaggi 215 4. Capirossi 161 5. Hayden 130 6. Ukawa 123 7. Bayliss 119 8. Checa 112 9. Nakano 101 10. Barros 91


Manufacturers standings: 1. Honda 370 2. Ducati 209 3. Yamaha 164 4. Aprilia 73 5. Suzuki 38 6. Proton 34 7. Kawasaki 19


250cc (25 laps, 111.2km): 1. Roberto Rolfo (Italy) Honda 45 minutes 14.993 seconds 2. Anthony West (Australia) Aprilia 45:29.033 3. Fonsi Nieto (Spain) Aprilia 45:48.504 4. Franco Battaini (Italy) Aprilia 46:09.245 5. Alex Debon (Spain) Honda 46:21.888 6. Naoki Matsudo (Japan) Yamaha 46:21.936 7. Erwan Nigon (France) Aprilia 46:28.414 8. Jaroslav Hules (Czech Rep) Honda 46:37.112 9. Manuel Poggiali (San Marino) Aprilia 46:37.156 10. Johan Stigefelt (Sweden) Aprilia 46:40.296


Leading world championship standings: 1. Poggiali 233 points 2. Rolfo 226 3. Toni Elias (Spain) Aprilia 206 4. Randy de Puniet (France) Aprilia 183 5. Nieto 183


Manufacturers standings: 1. Aprilia 365 2. Honda 242 3. Yamaha 114


125cc (23 laps, 102.304 km): 1. Andrea Ballerini (Italy) Honda 43 minutes 41.886 2. Masao Azuma (Japan) Honda 43:50.735 3. Steve Jenkner (Germany) Aprilia 43:56.073 4. Alvaro Bautista (Spain) Aprilia 43:56.638 5. Arnaud Vincent (France) Aprilia 43:58.273 6. Hector Barbera (Spain) Aprilia 44:04.738 7. Alex De Angelis (San Marino) Aprilia 44:05.053 8. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) Derbi 44:21.096 9. Gabor Talmacsi (Hungary) Aprilia 44:27.774 10. Robbin Harms (Denmark) Aprilia 44:30.386


Leading world championship standings: 1. Daniel Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 223 points 2. Alex De Angelis (San M