KEY POINTS:
BRNO - World Championship leader Casey Stoner dominated from start to finish on his Ducati to win the Czech MotoGP Grand Prix on Sunday and widen his lead in the overall standings.
The victory at the undulating 5.4-km Masaryk Ring was the Australian's seventh of 12 races this season.
"Everything worked perfectly today, the bike, the tyres. I was fast at the beginning ... so I could relax slightly towards the end," said 21-year-old Stoner.
American John Hopkins, who started from the front row, led his Suzuki unchallenged to claim second place, trailing Stoner by 7.903 seconds.
"Casey's pace was unreal, he didn't make a mistake the whole race so it was tough to catch him," Hopkins said.
Hopkins' compatriot and world champion Nicky Hayden shrugged off some disappointing practice sessions to clinch third place, a further 5.197 seconds behind.
Stoner leads the championship with 246 points and has extended the gap to 60 points over seven-times world champion Valentino Rossi, who finished a disappointing seventh on a Yamaha at his favourite track, 22.485 seconds behind the winner.
Hayden's team mate Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, who crossed the line fourth on a Honda, is the third overall with 168 points, closing on Rossi.
- REUTERS
