MOTOGP: Rossi 'kicked out at me,' Marquez says

Marc Marquez claims Valentino Rossi kicked out at him when they collided in MotoGP's Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Rossi was handed three penalty points on his license for the clash, which means he will start the championship-deciding final round at Valencia from the back of the grid. Marquez said he was disappointed with Rossi's actions on track, and post-race in the stewards' room.

"We were having a good race up until the incident; we started a fight between us and I always passed without making contact with him," said Marquez. "At Turn 14 he passed me on the inside and I saw him looking at me. I didn't know what to do. Then he kicked out at me, knocking my brake lever, and I crashed.

"Both what Valentino said to race direction and what he did on the track has made me disappointed. I've never seen anything like it: a rider kicking another rider."

Lorenzo: Rossi's penalty inadequate

Before the Malaysian GP weekend Rossi accused Marquez of deliberately trying to hinder his title bid, and Marquez said on Sunday he hopes their feud will stop.

"It might be down to nerves," he said of Rossi's behavior. "But I want to forget about all this and the important thing is I'm fine physically. I hope for the sake of the sport that this ends here."

Rossi vehemently denied Marquez's claim that he kicked out at the Honda rider.

"Marquez knows that is not true, because it is very clear, especially from the helicopter (view), that I don't want to make him crash," said the Italian, who leads the championship by seven points from Jorge Lorenzo heading into the finale. "After we touch and he touched with his handlebar on my leg, I lose the foot from the footpeg.

"But if you look at the image from the helicopter, it is clear that when I lose the foot from the footrest Marquez has already crashed.

"I don't want to kick him. Also, if you kick a MotoGP bike, it doesn't crash."

Originally on Autosport.com