 Hayden started the race from sixth on the grid |
American rider Nicky Hayden won his home Grand Prix as he took the chequered flag at the US Moto GP. The victory extended his lead at the top of the standings to 34 points.
Spain's Dani Pedrosa, who moved to second in the standings, and Italy's Marco Melandri were second and third places at California's Laguna Seca.
Valentino Rossi retired from fifth place with engine failure two laps from the end, dropping to fourth overall. Britain's James Ellison finished 13th.
Hayden, who also won the race last season, said the win was one of the highlights of his career.
"I think this feels better than last year, if that's possible," said Hayden, who finished in 45 minutes 4.867 seconds, bringing him home 3.186 seconds ahead of Pedrosa.
 | It was really big for the Championship but there's a long way still to go |
"I got a really good start from the inside.I did exactly what my big brother told me and got to the outside - and it worked perfectly into turn one allowing me to pick up a few places.
"I tried not to go too fast too quickly to preserve the tyre because the pace was quick and then I tried to relax and chip away.
"There was a lot of pressure. I had the championship to think about. The crowd was cheering for me. My team worked so hard this weekend and it was so hot out there so it pays to be fit.
"It was really big for the Championship but there's a long way still to go and I've just got to stay healthy and go for some more wins."
Yamaha's defending champion Rossi admitted his title was slipping away.
He said: "Now we're 51 points down on Hayden with only six races left, so for the first time I will race for the rest of the season without thinking about the pressure of the championship.
"But my plan is to have a lot of fun over the remaining races and try to win as many as possible, and then who knows what might happen."
US MotoGP race times:
1. Nicky Hayden (US) Honda 45 mins 04.867 secs
2. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 45:08.053
3. Marco Melandri (Italy) Honda 45:15.796
4. Kenny Roberts Jr. (US) KR211V 45:16.808
5. Chris Vermeulen (Australia) Suzuki 45:32.306
6. John Hopkins (US) Suzuki 45:43.687
7. Carlos Checa (Spain) Yamaha 45:49.692
8. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Ducati 45:53.393
9. Colin Edwards (US) Yamaha 45:58.095
10. Sete Gibernau (Spain) Ducati 46:11.146
13. James Ellison (GB) Yamaha 46:24.150
MotoGP driver standings:
1. Nicky Hayden (US) Honda 194 pts
2. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) Honda 160
3. Marco Melandri (Italy) Honda 150
4. Valentino Rossi (Italy) Yamaha 143
5. Loris Capirossi (Italy) Ducati 126
6. Casey Stoner (Australia) Honda 91
7. Colin Edwards (US) Yamaha 84
8. Kenny Roberts (US) KV211V 79
9. J Hopkins (US) Suzuki 74
10. Shunya Nakano (Japan) Kawasaki 67
18. James Ellison (GB) Yamaha 20
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Highlights: Hayden wins US MotoGP