30 years on: An Australian MotoGP legend begins

MotoGP’s return to the Australian Grand Prix in 2024 comes on the backdrop of a significant anniversary for one legendary racer from the country.

Much of the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s in grand prix motorcycle racing was a golden era of MotoGP for American riders.

Between 1978 and 1993, riders from the US won all but three 500cc world titles. Marco Lucchinelli and Franco Uncini of Italy interrupted this run in 1981 and 1982, while Wayne Gardner gave Australia its first premier class title in 1987.

But the 1994 season marked a genuine turning point in the American stranglehold on the premier class, as Mick Doohan claimed the first of his five successive 500cc world titles.

The Australian ace made his debut in 1989 with Honda and managed a first career podium at that year’s German GP. In 1990, Doohan took a first win at the Hungarian GP on his way to third in the standings.

The following year saw Doohan become a major title threat as he won three times and finished on the podium in all but the Dutch GP. It wasn’t quite enough to topple Yamaha’s Wayne Rainey, with Doohan finishing runner-up in the standings but just nine points behind the American.

The 1992 season, then, looked set to be the breakout year for Doohan. He won the first four races of the campaign and was second in at Mugello and Barcelona. He returned to the top step of the podium at the German GP and held a considerable lead in the standings.

But a crash at the Dutch GP next time out left him with a serious leg injury, the severity of which almost leading to amputation. He missed four rounds as he recovered and returned for the last two races, though well below fitness and unable to stop Rainey winning a third 500cc crown.

The aftereffects of the injury plagued Doohan in 1993 as he scored just one win at the San Marino GP. The biggest issue Doohan faced at this time was restricted movement of his right foot, with Honda developing a thumb-operated rear brake for him to use.

By the start of 1994, Doohan was in a much better place physically and was utterly dominant. He won nine times and finished every race on the rostrum, securing him his first 500cc world championship with three rounds to spare at that year’s Czech GP. His nearest challenger, Luca Cadalora, was 143 points adrift.

“30 years ago was a long time ago, for me,” Doohan told motogp.com about 1994 ahead of this weekend’s Australian GP at Phillip Island.

“Honestly, my competition years seem like a lifetime ago - which they were, to be honest. But I have so many fond memories.

“I enjoyed racing, I enjoyed the work commitment, everything else that went with it. I can’t believe how quick it’s come around since 1994, the first world championship. But I’m glad they keep spinning. Nothing on the other side, I’m told.

“To actually realise it was a relief in a way, because I’d been close a couple of years.

“Then I had some injuries and I had some technical issues. So, there was a couple of times I was runner-up. So to actually win the championship was a relief number one.

“But then I knew the work had begun because I didn’t only want to win one world championship. I wanted to do the best I could while I was continually riding.”

Doohan made sure he was no one-hit wonder in 1995. In the first year of Honda’s iconic title partnership with Repsol - which will come to an end at the conclusion of this season - he won seven times to clinch the crown by 33 points.

A third title followed in 1996, with Doohan beating Honda team-mate Alex Criville by 64 points. The 1997 campaign proved to be Doohan’s most dominant, the Australian scoring 12 race wins - 10 of which coming one after the other from the Italian GP to the Catalan GP. He won the championship by 143 points over Tadayuki Okada.

Doohan didn’t quite scale the same heights in 1998, but eight wins earned him his fifth and final 500cc world championship by 52 points from Max Biaggi. The defence of his crown came to an end at the third round of the 1999 season, when a crash at Jerez left him with multiple injuries - including another serious leg break - and ultimately forced him to retire.

The Doohan name continues to race at the highest levels of world motorsport, with his son Jack earning a full-time Formula 1 drive with Alpine for the 2025 season.

“Honestly, I haven’t been thinking about the years,” Doohan concludes.  

“It was only when somebody mentioned something to me earlier in the year and I did another event earlier in the year with my son in a Formula 1 car [that I realised].

“I don’t sit there and reflect what happened many, many years ago. So, what happened yesterday, I don’t look back. I only look back for experience and learning from mistakes.”