A trio of Australian riders headlined by MotoGP star Casey Stoner raced with mixed fortunes in Europe on the weekend.
Stoner was on duty at Misano in the San Marino Grand Prix in company with Adelaide young gun Arthur Sissis who lined up in the final round of the Rookies Cup for emerging talent.
Meanwhile in Spain Remy Gardner, 13-year-old son of 1987 world champion Wayne Gardner, competed in round five of the CMV junior series.
Exhausted by jet lag and lack of sleep Stoner finished a brave third at a hot and humid Misano to maintain a commanding 35 point lead in the MotoGP championship.
The race was won by Spain's Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) with Stoner's Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa in second.
On current form Stoner is set to defend his crown as king of Phillip Island next month in the Australian Grand Prix on October 16.
Sissis, 16, rode a bold race in the Rookies Cup final to finish an impressive second in the series, missing the title by just nine points.
At the Alcarras circuit in Spain Remy Gardner finished fourth in the fifth round of the CMV junior series after running off the track while in second place.
Stoner said the effort of winning the previous three races had drained him physically and he could not match Lorenzo's pace int he second half of the race.
"I never really had a chance of winning," Stoner said.
"I was really tired from the win in Indianapolis last week, I never really recovered. The bike was capable but I became weak on the brakes and was losing time.
"When Dani passed me for second I had nothing left so brining home in third was the way to go. Racing with Dani would have meant a lot more risk.
"No excuses, the bike felt sharp, I was just worn out after the last three races."
Stoner, the 2007 world champion, has won seven out of 13 races, more than twice as many as Lorenzo with three victories.
In the final Rookies Cup race Sissis finished fourth just one place behind eventual series winner Lorenzo Baldassarri of Italy.
Sissis raced shoulder-to-shoulder with Baldassarri in the lead group but was bumped wide as attempted a brave overtaking move for the lead on the fastest corner with four laps remaining.
"I had to win the race to have any chance and Baldassarri moved wide to cover the corner when I was on the outside going for the lead, but that's racing," Sissis said.
"It's a little disappointing to have come so close but I probably would have done the same thing in the circumstances.
"But this has been the best year of my life, winning four races and without this Rookies Cup opportunity I'd probably still be racing speedway back in Australia."
Sissis ended the fourteen race season with four race wins but had to win the final race to overcome a points deficit to Baldassarri who won just two races.
