Mick Doohan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mick Doohan AM
Doohan in 2018
Born	(1965-06-04) 4 June 1965 (age 60) Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Children	2, including Jack
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1989–1999 First race 1989 500cc Japanese Grand Prix Last race 1999 500cc Japanese Grand Prix First win 1990 500cc Hungarian Grand Prix Last win 1998 500cc Argentine Grand Prix Team(s) Honda Championships 5 500cc: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 137 54 95 58 46 2283

Michael Sydney Doohan (born 4 June 1965) is an Australian former motorcycle racer. He became a Grand Prix World Champion. Mick Doohan won five championships in a row in the 500 cc class. He is known as one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time.

Mick Doohan's Early Life and Racing Career

Mick Doohan grew up on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. He went to school in Brisbane. In the late 1980s, he started racing Superbikes in Australia. He won both races when the Superbike World Championship came to Oran Park in 1988. He also won a big race at Mount Panorama before it became part of the World Championship. Doohan is one of the few 500 cc or MotoGP World Champions who also won a Superbike World Championship race.

Doohan aboard the Rothmans Honda NSR500, 1990

He started racing in Grand Prix motorcycle racing in 1989. He rode a Honda NSR 500 cc motorcycle. In 1990, Doohan won his first race at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He finished third in the championship that year.

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

In 1991, he teamed up with fellow Australian racer Wayne Gardner. They won the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race together. Doohan raced very well in the early 1990s. He was close to winning his first world championship in 1992. However, he had a very serious crash during practice before the 1992 Dutch TT.

Overcoming Challenges and Winning Championships

Mick Doohan's crash in 1992 caused severe damage to his right leg. Doctors even thought he might lose his leg. At the time of the crash, Doohan was leading the championship by a lot of points. He could not race for eight weeks while he recovered. He returned for the last two races but could not stop Yamaha rider Wayne Rainey from winning the title. Rainey won by just four points.

In 1993, Doohan struggled with his healing leg. It was hard for him to race his Honda at the top level. He later said he just tried to keep his spot on the Honda team that year. During this time, he started using a special rear brake. He operated it with his left thumb because his right foot was not strong enough.

Doohan celebrates after winning the 1995 Argentine Grand Prix

In 1994, Doohan finally won his first 500 cc World Championship. After that, he was almost unbeatable until 1998. He won five 500 cc World Championships in a row. His best year was 1997. He won 12 out of 15 races and finished second in two others. He crashed in the last race of the season at his home track, but he was still leading.

Doohan on the podium with Takuma Aoki and Tadayuki Okada after winning the 1997 German Grand Prix

Doohan was much better than his rivals during these years. His chief race engineer, Jeremy Burgess, helped a lot. Burgess was very good at setting up the motorcycle's suspension. This gave Doohan an advantage. From 1994 to 1998, Doohan's bike did not change much. He was not keen on trying new things like electronic shifting.

In 1999, Doohan had another accident. It happened during a wet qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix. He broke his leg again in several places. After this, he decided to retire from racing. Jeremy Burgess, his engineer, later worked with Valentino Rossi. After retiring, Doohan became an adviser for Honda's Grand Prix team. He left Honda at the end of the 2004 season.

In June 2011, Doohan visited the Isle of Man TT. He rode a lap of the famous Snaefell Mountain Course. He was very impressed by the race. He also honored his former Honda teammate, Joey Dunlop.

Mick Doohan's Other Interests

Racing Cars

Doohan's rally car

After his success in motorcycle racing, Mick Doohan got to test a Formula One race car. He drove a Williams FW19 at Circuit de Catalunya in Spain in April 1998. He found the car hard to drive and crashed. In 2001, Doohan drove a Mercedes Benz CLK55 AMG rally car. He was in a rally called the Targa Tasmania. He crashed the car on the third day, but he was not hurt.

Mick Doohan's Personal Life

Mick Doohan married Selina Sines on 21 March 2006. They had been together for eleven years. They have two children. Their son, Jack Doohan, is also a racing driver in Formula One.

Doohan helped design a roller coaster called Mick Doohan's Motocoaster. It is a Intamin Motorbike Launch Roller Coaster. The ride is at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Queensland. In May 2022, his name was removed from the ride. It is now just called Motocoaster.

Awards and Recognition

Mick Doohan has received many honors. In 1996, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). This was for his great contribution to motor racing. He also received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000. The City of Gold Coast gave him the "Key to the City" in 1997. In 2009, he was added to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. The first turn at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is named after him.

In 2009, as part of the Q150 celebrations, Doohan was named one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland. This was for being a "sports legend."

Career Statistics Summary

Superbike World Championship Summary

Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing Summary

By Season

By Class

See also

In Spanish: Mick Doohan para niños

• Daijiro Kato
• Nicky Hayden
• Motorcycle sport