Highlights

No action taken against Rossi

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-09-18 10:29

No action was taken against world champion Valentino Rossi after the Italian was reported to have overtaken a rival while the yellow flags were on display in Sunday's Australian MotoGP Grand Prix.

World championship leader Nicky Hayden said in a televised interview Rossi had overtaken Australian Casey Stoner on lap 18 while yellow flags were being waved following Carlos Checa's detour into the trackside gravel trap.

But stewards confirmed to Reuters that no official protest had been lodged and so Rossi was allowed to retain third place and the accompanying 16 world championship points.

The outcome means five-times top class champion Rossi goes into the final three races of the season in Japan, Portugal and Spain 21 points behind Hayden.

"It was difficult, I was looking at the track," Rossi told reporters after the rain-hit race.

"Just because a rider is going slow, it's (the flags) for if there is a crash in a dangerous position. If they take out this result it will be very bad because it was a difficult race."