Motor Cycling: The reigning MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi made an audacious last-corner overtaking manoeuvre in the Australian MotoGP yesterday to close the gap in this year's title race.

The hard-charging Italian stole third place from Spain's Sete Gibernau at a wet and chaotic Phillip Island in Australia to gain five points on the championship leader, Nicky Hayden, who finished fifth.

The race was won by Rossi's compatriot Marco Melandri on a Honda ahead of the Suzuki of Chris Vermeulen, who scored his first MotoGP podium finish on home soil.

The race had been delayed by rain and was then interrupted after a further shower by a white flag, giving riders the chance to switch to bikes running on wet- weather tyres; it caused chaos in the pits.

"I almost fell over myself on the change of bikes," Melandri said. "It was difficult when we left the pits, a little scary."

With three races left, Rossi is now 21 points behind Hayden.

"I lost a lot of time with the rain tyres but I think that was my fault," Rossi said. "On the last corner it was so important to take second place in the championship."

Japan's Ryuichi Kiyonari revived his attempt to win the British Superbike Championship when he took his Honda to a double victory at Silverstone yesterday.

Kiyonari, who profited from a recent test session on the 2.213-mile circuit, beat the Spanish rider Gregorio Lavilla by a comfortable 11 seconds in the first 20-lap session and by five seconds in the second.

Lavilla now leads the championship by one point from Kiyonari with only the final round remaining, at Brands Hatch on October 1st. Guardian Service