Casey Stoner led from start to finish to win the MotoGP season opener on Monday and complete a personal hat trick of victories in Qatar. The Ducati rider produced a near-perfect race under lights to win the 22-lap race with a time of 42 minutes, 53.984 seconds at the 5.38 km Losail International Circuit. The 23-year-old Australian finished ahead of defending world champion Valentino Rossi of Italy and Jorge Lorenzo of Spain. Yamaha rider Rossi crossed the finish line 7.771 seconds behind Stoner. Lorenzo, also of Yahama, was 16.244 seconds adrift of Stoner, who picked up 25 points for his efforts, while Rossi bagged 20 and Lorenzo 16. “I feel stronger than last year so this makes for a great start. I am close to being a 100 percent fit. I think the team put in a real effort this whole week,” Stoner said. Rossi said he was happy despite his second place finish. “I did well in the second half of the race, but I am happy with the start of the season,” Rossi said. Monday's 22-lap race took place after torrential rain on Sunday forced the postponement of the race. Colin Edwards of the US was fourth and Andrea Dovizioso of Italy fifth. Spain's Dani Pedrosa riding for Honda, who finished last year's world championship in third spot, could only manage 11th spot, while his American teammate Nicky Hayden finished 12th. The next MotoGP Grand Prix will be held in Motegi, Japan, on April 26.
