ASSEN, Netherlands Four-time world champion Michael ``Mick'' Doohan of Australia easily won the Dutch Motorcycle Grand Prix Saturday, improving his overall season standings from fourth to second place. In the 500cc class, Doohan completed the 121-kilometer (75-mile) race in 41 minutes and 17.788 seconds. With Doohan on a Honda comfortably in the lead, the race became a battle for the second spot between Italy's Max Biaggi and Simon Crafar of New Zealand. Biaggi prevailed, finishing second with 41:18.348, while Crafar settled for third with 41:18.939.

The competition in this northeastern Dutch city was the seventh event of the 1998 World Motorcycle Racing Championship. In overall season standings, Biaggi leads with 118 points, followed by Doohan with 115 points and Alex Criville of Spain with 113 points. In the 250cc competition, Italy's Loris Capirossi, who started in pole position, dropped out during the ninth lap because of an engine problem.

Italy's Valentino Rossi, riding an Aprilia, won the race with 38:31.905. Germany's Jurgen Fuchs took second with 38:51.089 and Haruchika Aoki of Japan finished third with 38:51.421. In the 125cc class, it was a hair-raising sprint to the finish line for the 15-year-old Marco Melandri of Italy who trailed behind Japan's Kazuto Sakata the whole race until the final lap. Melandri, who doesn't even have a driver's license, squeezed passed Sakata just seconds before the finish, winning the race with 38:27.391.

Melandri was riding a Honda. Sakata finished with 38:27.419 in second place, and Tomoi Manako of Japan finished third with 38:37.017. (AP)