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Mick Doohan

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Mick Doohan
AM
Doohan aboard the Rothmans Honda NSR500, 1990
Born (1965-06-04) 4 June 1965 (age 59)
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
NationalityAustralian
ChildrenJack Doohan
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Active years1989–1999
First race1989 500cc Japanese Grand Prix
Last race1999 500cc Japanese Grand Prix
First win1990 500cc Hungarian Grand Prix
Last win1998 500cc Argentine Grand Prix
Team(s)Honda
Championships5
500cc: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
137 54 95 58 46 2283

Michael Sydney Doohan AM[1] (born 4 June 1965) is an Australian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion, who won five consecutive 500 cc World Championships.

Biography

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Originally from the Gold Coast, Queensland, Doohan attended St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace and Aspley State High School, Brisbane. He raced in Australian Superbikes in the late 1980s, and also won both races as Superbike World Championship visited Oran Park in 1988 as well as the second leg of the Japanese round held earlier in the year. In a break-out season he also won the final Australian motorcycle Grand Prix to be held in the TT format at Mount Panorama before the race became a round of the World Championship the following year and moved to Phillip Island. He is one of the few 500 cc or MotoGP World Champions to have won a Superbike World Championship race.[2]

Doohan leads Kevin Schwantz, Wayne Rainey and John Kocinski at the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix

He made his Grand Prix debut for Honda on an NSR 500 cc two-stroke motorcycle in 1989. Late in the 1990 season Doohan claimed his first victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix on his way to third in the championship. In 1991, he was paired with his fellow Australian Wayne Gardner on a Honda RVF750 superbike and won the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race. He competed successfully throughout the early 1990s and appeared to be on his way to winning his first world championship when he was seriously injured in a practice crash before the 1992 Dutch TT. He suffered permanent and serious damage to his right leg due to medical complications and, at one stage, faced amputation of the leg. At the time, Doohan was 65 points in the lead of the championship, but could not compete for eight weeks after the crash. After an arduous recovery, he returned to racing for the final two races but could not prevent Yamaha rider Wayne Rainey from winning his third consecutive title (by four points from Doohan). In 1993 he struggled with the healing of his leg and the ability to race the Honda at elite level, stating later that in that year it was all he could do to just keep his ride at Honda. It was also during this time he switched to a left thumb-operated rear brake, as his right foot is no longer able to perform this function.[3]

In 1994 however, he won his first 500 cc World Championship. Thereafter, until 1998, he dominated the class, winning five consecutive 500 cc World Championships. In 1997, his most successful year, Doohan won 12 out of 15 races, finished second in another two, and crashed out of the final race of the season at his home GP while leading by more than six seconds. In the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours, Doohan was inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his contribution to the sport of motor racing.[4]

Despite up to eight rivals on non-factory HRC Honda motorcycles Doohan's margin of superiority over them was such that in many races Doohan would build a comfortable lead and then ride well within his limits to cruise to victory. Although pure riding skill clearly played a large part in his success, the ability of his chief race engineer, Jeremy Burgess, to perfect the suspension and geometry of a racing motorcycle may have given him an advantage over his rivals. Between 1994 and 1998 the bike was said not to have had many changes, with Honda engineers reportedly becoming frustrated at Doohan's reluctance to try innovations such as electronic shifting (it was only when Rossi came to Honda in 2000 that Honda engineers had their head with Rossi willing to try more innovations).[citation needed]

One notable trait of Doohan's post-crash riding style was the use of a thumb-operated rear brake developed during 1993 owing to the reduced range of motion in his ankle. This was operated by a "nudge" bar similar to a personal water craft throttle, but mounted on the left handlebar. In 1999 Doohan had another accident, this time in a very wet qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix. He again broke his leg in several places and subsequently announced his retirement. Jeremy Burgess, Doohan's chief engineer for his entire career, later became Valentino Rossi's chief engineer. After Doohan retired he went to work as a roving adviser to Honda's Grand Prix race effort. At the conclusion of the 2004 season, Doohan and Honda parted company.[5]

In June 2011, Doohan made an appearance at the Isle of Man TT. Doohan completed a parade lap, and was most enamored by the thrill and spectacle of the Snaefell Mountain Course. He then went on to pay tribute to his former Honda racing teammate, Joey Dunlop.[6]

Cars

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Doohan's rally car

After his success in Grand Prix motorcycle racing he got a chance to test a Formula One race car, the Williams FW19, at Circuit de Catalunya (in Spain) in April 1998. He found the car difficult to drive and crashed against a guard rail.[7] In 2001, Doohan drove a Mercedes Benz CLK55 AMG works rally car with his co-driver Mark Stacey in the 2001 Targa Tasmania rally. He was in thirteenth place on day three when he crashed the car; he and Stacey were uninjured after the incident.[8]

Personal life

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On 8 August 2006, Doohan appeared in Darwin Magistrates Court to face charges over a weekend fracas at a strip club. He was fined $2,500 after pleading guilty to assaulting a bouncer and failing to leave a licensed premise. No conviction was recorded.[9]

Doohan married Selina Sines, who had been his partner for the previous eleven years, on Tuesday 21 March 2006, on Hamilton Island; the couple have two children, including racing driver Jack Doohan.[10]

Doohan helped design an Intamin Motorbike Launch Roller Coaster, named Mick Doohan's Motocoaster. The ride is located at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Queensland.[11] Doohan's name was removed from the ride's branding in May 2022, and it is now known simply as Motocoaster.[12]

Honours

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Doohan was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1996 and received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000.[1][13] He was awarded the "Key to the City" by the City of Gold Coast in 1997.[14] He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2009.[15] The first turn at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is named after him.

In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, Doohan was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for his role as a "sports legend".[16]

Career statistics

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Superbike World Championship

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Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pos Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
1988 Yamaha GBR GBR HUN HUN GER GER AUT AUT JPN
31 		JPN
1 		FRA FRA POR POR AUS
1 		AUS
1 		NZL NZL 12th 30

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

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By season

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Season Class Motorcycle Team Number Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd WCh
1989 500cc Honda NSR500 Rothmans Honda 27 12 0 1 0 0 81 9th –
1990 500cc Honda NSR500 Rothmans Honda 9 15 1 5 3 2 179 3rd –
1991 500cc Honda NSR500 Rothmans Honda 3 15 3 14 2 1 224 2nd –
1992 500cc Honda NSR500 Rothmans Honda 2 9 5 7 6 5 136 2nd –
1993 500cc Honda NSR500 Rothmans Honda 2 13 1 6 4 4 156 4th –
1994 500cc Honda NSR500 Honda Team HRC 4 14 9 14 6 7 317 1st 1
1995 500cc Honda NSR500 Repsol YPF Honda Team 1 13 7 10 9 7 248 1st 1
1996 500cc Honda NSR500 Team Repsol Honda 1 15 8 12 8 4 309 1st 1
1997 500cc Honda NSR500 Repsol YPF Honda Team 1 15 12 14 12 11 340 1st 1
1998 500cc Honda NSR500 Repsol Honda 1 14 8 11 8 3 260 1st 1
1999 500cc Honda NSR500 Repsol Honda Team 1 2 0 1 0 2 33 17th –
Total 137 54 95 58 46 2283 5

By class

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Class Seasons 1st GP 1st Pod 1st Win Race Win Podiums Pole FLap Pts WChmp
500cc 1989–1999 1989 Japan 1989 Germany 1990 Hungary 137 54 95 58 46 2283 5
Total 1989–1999 137 54 95 58 46 2283 5

Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap) [17]

Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Pos Pts
1989 500cc Honda JPN
Ret 		AUS
8 		USA
8 		SPA
Ret 		NAT
Ret 		GER
3 		AUT
8 		YUG
6 		NED
9 		BEL
8 		FRA
8 		GBR SWE CZE BRA
4 		9th 81
1990 500cc Honda JPN
Ret 		USA
2 		SPA
4 		NAT
3 		GER
Ret 		AUT
3 		YUG
4 		NED
4 		BEL
6 		FRA
4 		GBR
4 		SWE
4 		CZE
9 		HUN
1 		AUS
2 		3rd 179
1991 500cc Honda JPN
2 		AUS
2 		USA
2 		SPA
1 		ITA
1 		GER
3 		AUT
1 		EUR
2 		NED
Ret 		FRA
2 		GBR
3 		RSM
3 		CZE
2 		VDM
2 		MAL
3 		2nd 224
1992 500cc Honda JPN
1 		AUS
1 		MAL
1 		SPA
1 		ITA
2 		EUR
2 		GER
1 		NED
DNS 		HUN FRA GBR BRA
12 		RSA
6 		2nd 136
1993 500cc Honda AUS
Ret 		MAL
4 		JPN
7 		SPA
4 		AUT
2 		GER
Ret 		NED
2 		EUR
2 		RSM
1 		GBR
Ret 		CZE
3 		ITA
2 		USA
Ret 		FIM 4th 156
1994 500cc Honda AUS
3 		MAL
1 		JPN
2 		SPA
1 		AUT
1 		GER
1 		NED
1 		ITA
1 		FRA
1 		GBR
2 		CZE
1 		USA
3 		ARG
1 		EUR
2 		1st 317
1995 500cc Honda AUS
1 		MAL
1 		JPN
2 		SPA
Ret 		GER
Ret 		ITA
1 		NED
1 		FRA
1 		GBR
1 		CZE
2 		BRA
2 		ARG
1 		EUR
4 		1st 248
1996 500cc Honda MAL
5 		INA
1 		JPN
6 		SPA
1 		ITA
1 		FRA
1 		NED
1 		GER
2 		GBR
1 		AUT
2 		CZE
2 		IMO
1 		CAT
2 		BRA
1 		AUS
8 		1st 309
1997 500cc Honda MAL
1 		JPN
1 		SPA
2 		ITA
1 		AUT
1 		FRA
1 		NED
1 		IMO
1 		GER
1 		BRA
1 		GBR
1 		CZE
1 		CAT
1 		INA
2 		AUS
Ret 		1st 340
1998 500cc Honda JPN
Ret 		MAL
1 		SPA
2 		ITA
1 		FRA
2 		MAD
Ret 		NED
1 		GBR
2 		GER
1 		CZE
Ret 		IMO
1 		CAT
1 		AUS
1 		ARG
1 		1st 260
1999 500cc Honda MAL
4 		JPN
2 		SPA
DNS 		FRA ITA CAT NED GBR GER CZE IMO VAL AUS RSA BRA ARG 17th 33

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Doohan, Michael Sydney". It's an Honour. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Michael Doohan career World Superbike statistics at". Worldsbk.com. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  3. ^ "Man of steel: Mick Doohan". The Road Ahead Lifestyle (RACQ). Archived from the original on 19 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Australian Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet – Honours Search". 30 January 2018. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018.
  5. ^ "Doohan cuts ties with Honda – Breaking News – www.smh.com.au". 30 January 2018. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ "Mick Doohan rides the TT course". MotoGeo. 10 June 2011. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  7. ^ "Teddy Yip's Feast from the East". FORIX.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2007. Retrieved 13 March 2007.
  8. ^ "AUS: Targa Tasmania news 2005-09-20". Motorsport Network. 20 September 2005. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Doohan fined over strip club assault". Australia: ABC News. 8 August 2006. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Jack Doohan – Red Bull Junior Team". Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  11. ^ Parkz. "Mick Doohan's Motocoaster (Dreamworld)". Database Entry. Parkz. Archived from the original on 24 December 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  12. ^ "Motocoaster". Dreamworld. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Doohan, Michael Sydney: Australian Sports Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  14. ^ Services, corporateName=Office of the COO | Corporate Communication | Web. "Key to the City". goldcoast.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  15. ^ "Mick Doohan". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  16. ^ Bligh, Anna (10 June 2009). "PREMIER UNVEILS QUEENSLAND'S 150 ICONS". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  17. ^ "Rider Statistics – Michael Doohan". MotoGP.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
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