Casey Stoner took his seventh win of the season after utterly
dominating the Czech Grand Prix at Brno.
The 21-year-old Australian completed a lights-to-flag victory on
his Ducati, coming home 7.903 seconds ahead of Suzuki's John
Hopkins, who took the best finish of his career in second.
World champion Nicky Hayden completed the podium while
Valentino Rossi could only manage seventh place, meaning he is
now a mammoth 60 points behind Stoner in the championship
with only six races to go.
Polesitter Stoner sprinted into the lead at the lights, followed by
Dani Pedrosa's Repsol Honda and Hopkins.
The American though was in no mood to stay behind and nipped
through before the end of the first lap.
Hopkins' countryman Hayden repeated the move on Stoner on lap
three and that was that as the front four remained in that order
for the remaining 19 laps.
Fifth in the early stages was Loris Capirossi on the second Ducati,
and the veteran Italian was to form one quarter of the battle of
the race. Capirossi's choice of soft Bridgestones forced him to run
conservatively early on, which made him easy meat for Rossi,
himself having edged his Yamaha in front of Randy de Puniet's
Kawasaki four laps earlier.
But there was a fourth interloper too and Chris Vermeulen,
benefiting from Suzuki's storming pace in the race, went by de
Puniet for seventh on lap.... click on ozzy go to the full story