MALMESBURY'S rising star Danny Kent managed to keep the Moto3 world championship alive for his Red Bull team-mate Jack Miller in the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Aussie Miller's second place in the stifling conditions of Sepang meant he closed the gap on championship leader Alex Marquez to 11 points with plenty to play for in the final Grand Prix in Valencia in two weeks.

Miller was aided in no small measure by Kent pipping Marquez for fourth place after a terrific last-lap battle between the pair.

Kent may have narrowly missed the podium – he finished just 8/10ths of a second behind the winner Efren Vazquez of Spain – but he maintained his recent resurgence in form, which included a third-place finish at Aragon in Spain last month.

The 20-year-old race ace finished all sessions inside the top ten throughout the weekend and managed to put his Red Bull Husqvarna Ajo machine in seventh position on the grid, just over a second off pole.

Following a strong start, the former Moto3 race winner lost touch with the leading group at the mid-point of the race, however he was soon back fighting at the head of affairs with seven laps remaining.

Caught up in a tense battle for the win, he ultimately crossed the line in fourth position. A good finish in the Spanish final round on November 9 could see him climb to seventh in the world series.

"It’s been a very tough weekend," said Kent. "We worked to get a good feeling on the bike and we can be very happy with how the race went.

"We have maintained a strong pace and we showed that we can ride with the front group over recent races.

"Since Aragon we have been fighting to be at the front and I’m very happy with the big step that we have taken in this second part of the season. Once again, the team did a great job all weekend.”