Michael Sydney Doohan (born 4 June 1965) is an Australian former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion, who won five consecutive 500 cc World Championships.
He raced in Australian Superbikes in the late 1980s, and also won both races as Superbike World Championship visited Oran Park in as well as the second leg of the Japanese round held earlier in the year.
He is one of the few 500 cc or MotoGP World Champions to have won a Superbike World Championship race. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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). 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.
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. In 1994 however, he won his first 500 cc World Championship.
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). 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.
In June 1996, Doohan was inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the sport of motor racing. 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.
The ride is located at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Queensland. ==Honours== Doohan was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1996 and received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000.
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.
He was awarded the "Key to the City" by the City of Gold Coast in 1997.
Thereafter, until 1998, he dominated the class, winning five consecutive 500 cc World Championships.
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). 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.
No conviction was recorded. ==Marriage== Doohan married Selina Sines, his partner of eleven years, on Tuesday 21 March 2006, on Hamilton Island; the couple have two children, including racing driver and Red Bull junior Jack Doohan. ==Formula One== 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.
In 1999 Doohan had another accident, this time in a very wet qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix.
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). 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.
The ride is located at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, Queensland. ==Honours== Doohan was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1996 and received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000.
He found the car difficult to drive and crashed against a guard rail. == Targa Tasmania Tarmac Rally == In 2001, Doohan drove a Mercedes Benz CLK55 AMG works rally car with his co-driver Mark Stacey in the 2001 Targa Tasmania rally.
At the conclusion of the 2004 season, Doohan and Honda parted company. In June 2011, Doohan made an appearance at the Isle of Man TT.
He then went on to pay tribute to his former Honda racing teammate, Joey Dunlop. ==Court case== On 8 August 2006, Doohan appeared in Darwin Magistrates Court to face charges over a weekend fracas at a strip club.
No conviction was recorded. ==Marriage== Doohan married Selina Sines, his partner of eleven years, on Tuesday 21 March 2006, on Hamilton Island; the couple have two children, including racing driver and Red Bull junior Jack Doohan. ==Formula One== 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 was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2009.
At the conclusion of the 2004 season, Doohan and Honda parted company. In June 2011, Doohan made an appearance at the Isle of Man TT.
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