Stoner cruises to Czech victory

World championship leader Casey Stoner led from start to finish as he eased to victory at the Czech MotoGP in Brno.

John Hopkins came a career-best second after a superb start from fourth on the grid, with defending champion Nicky Hayden third and Dani Pedrosa fourth.
Valentino Rossi, who lies second behind Stoner in the standings, had a miserable day as he finished seventh.

Stoner's championship lead over Rossi is now 60 points, with Pedrosa just 18 points behind Rossi in third place.

The victory at the undulating 5.4-km Masaryk Ring was Stoner's seventh in 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 the 21-year-old.

American John Hopkins, who started from the front row, led his Suzuki unchallenged to claim second place.

"Casey's pace was unreal, he didn't make a mistake the whole race so it was tough to catch him," said Hopkins.