Mick Doohan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mick Doohan
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Doohan aboard the Rothmans Honda NSR500, 1990
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| Born | 4 June 1965 Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
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| Nationality | Australian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | Jack Doohan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Michael Sydney Doohan (born June 4, 1965) is a famous Australian former Grand Prix motorcycle racer. He is best known for winning five world championships in a row in the 500cc class. This makes him one of the greatest motorcycle racers ever!
Contents
Biography
Mick Doohan grew up in the Gold Coast area of Queensland, Australia. He started racing motorbikes in Australia in the late 1980s. He even won two races in the Superbike World Championship at Oran Park Raceway in 1988. He also won the last Australian motorcycle Grand Prix held at Mount Panorama.
Doohan made his first Grand Prix race for Honda in 1989. He rode a powerful NSR 500cc two-stroke motorcycle. In 1990, he won his first race at the Hungarian Grand Prix. This helped him finish third in the championship that year.
In 1991, he teamed up with fellow Australian racer Wayne Gardner. Together, they won the tough Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race. Mick was doing very well in the early 1990s. He looked like he was going to win his first world championship in 1992.
However, he had a very bad crash during practice at the 1992 Dutch TT. He hurt his right leg badly and had serious problems with it. For a while, doctors even thought they might have to remove his leg. At the time of the crash, Doohan was far ahead in the championship. He couldn't race for eight weeks while he recovered. Even though he came back for the last two races, Yamaha rider Wayne Rainey won the title by just four points.
In 1993, Mick struggled because his leg was still healing. 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. Because of his injury, he started using a special brake. This brake was operated by his left thumb instead of his right foot.
In 1994, Mick Doohan finally won his first 500cc World Championship. After that, he was almost unbeatable until 1998. He won five 500cc World Championships in a row! In 1997, he had his best year ever. He won 12 out of 15 races and finished second in two others. He only crashed out of one race, which was his home Grand Prix.
Mick was so much better than his rivals during these years. He would often get a big lead and then race carefully to win. His amazing riding skills were a big part of his success. Also, his main race engineer, Jeremy Burgess, was very good at setting up his motorcycle.
In 1999, Mick had another crash during a wet practice 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 for his whole career, later worked with another famous racer, Valentino Rossi. After retiring, Doohan worked as an adviser for Honda's Grand Prix team. He left Honda in 2004.
In 2011, Mick Doohan visited the Isle of Man TT race. He rode a parade lap and was very impressed by the famous Snaefell Mountain Course. He also honored his former Honda teammate, Joey Dunlop.
Cars
After his success in motorcycle racing, Mick Doohan got to test a Formula One race car. This was the Williams FW19 in Spain in 1998. He found the car difficult to drive and crashed into a barrier. In 2001, Doohan drove a Mercedes Benz CLK55 AMG rally car in the Targa Tasmania rally. He crashed the car on the third day, but he and his co-driver were not hurt.
Personal life
Mick Doohan married Selina Sines on March 21, 2006, on Hamilton Island. They had been together for eleven years. They have two children, including racing driver Jack Doohan.
Doohan also helped design a roller coaster called Mick Doohan's Motocoaster. It's a Intamin Motorbike Launch Roller Coaster at Dreamworld theme park in Queensland. In 2022, his name was removed from the ride, and it is now just called Motocoaster.
Honours
Mick Doohan has received many awards for his achievements. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1996 for his contributions to motor racing. In 2000, he received an Australian Sports Medal. The City of Gold Coast gave him the "Key to the City" in 1997.
He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2009. The first turn at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is named after him. In 2009, he was also named one of the "Q150 Icons" of Queensland for being a "sports legend."
See also
- Daijiro Kato
- Nicky Hayden
- Motorcycle sport
