Mick Doohan
Mick Doohan
CW INTERVIEW
AUSSIE ON TOP
STEPHANE VAN GELDER
MICK DOOHAN DOMINATED GRAND PRIX MOTORCYCLE roadracing in 1994. Indeed, en route to the 500cc World Roadracing Championship, he stood atop the victory podium an amazing nine times. This, after a 1992 crash and post-operative complications that almost ended the 30-year-old Australian's career.
Prior to the start of the 1995 season, Doohan sat down with French motojournalist Stéphane Van Gelder to offer his thoughts on the state of 500cc GP racing and the steadfast commitment required to attain that series’ championship.
Why have 500 lap times remained consistent over the last few seasons, while the 250s have gone quicker?
A I think there are two reasons. First, a rule change increased the bikes’ minimum weight by 15 kilos (33 pounds), which prevents us from using the extra power that the race engineers have given us. It simply makes the rear (wheel) spin a little more. Over the same period, the 250s have had no extra weight added, and their power has still increased.
But it’s not only a weight problem. There are also an increasing number of privateers on good bikes. Some of those riders are really slow-, which is something we must always keep in mind. Even if the track looks clear and you think you’ve got a clean lap, there’s always a chance that you'll come up on a much slower rider. So, you always have to hold back slightly.
The ROC and Harris Yamahas are strong performers, so it slows the passing process. You have to make an extra effort to get by, then you have to stop the bike. It slows the whole fluent style you need to put a fast lap together.
Do you believe that the latest non-factory machines
have allowed privateers to improve their level of performance?
Sure. Still, there’s only three or four guys who actually try week in, week out. The others only seem to try at their home GP. Going back to the French GP, there were quite a few guys up there who I’d never seen going so fast all year. Why can’t they do that every weekend? Bernard Garcia rides quite well; I think he’s shown good progress this year. And there’s Niall Mackenzie and John Reynolds; they ride reasonably hard all the time. It’s just a few of the others. They should think about what they’re doing out there. Do they
really want to race, or are they just there to pick up some prize money?
What is your response to those who imply that you won the championship simply because you were on the best bike?
The Honda is very good. The Suzuki was very good last year, and the Yamaha was good before that. When a bike is winning, people are going to say the bike is good. It’s something that I don’t worry about too much. Sure, the bike is good, but 1 don’t think the other bikes are that bad, either.
Was 1994 a high-pressure season?
No more than any other year. 1 just treated each race as it came and tried to get the best possible result. For some reason, 1 felt less pressured than in the past because the team seemed more laid back. Maybe it was due to the departure of the major sponsor (Rothmans) last year. Whatever the reason, the priority seemed to be on the bike instead of trying to promote a corporate image.
Have you tried to help fellow Australians like Mat Mladin or Daryl Beattie by sharing your experiences?
Beattie is a really good friend of mine. 1 think next year will be better for him. Mladin wanted to do everything on his own. It was hard to talk to him or give him any sort of advice. That’s fair enough. He's young and it was good to see that sort of drive. I had a few people helping me when I started-Barry Sheene, Eddie Lawson-and it helps. I'd like to sec more Australians in there, so I'll help anyone who wants my help.
(J What makes it so hard for talented European riders to be competitive on a 500 when they’ve performed well on a 250?
V A lot of guys don’t take the fitness side of it too seriously. They can put a lap together, but the race is more than one lap. The 500 is very physical; it accelerates hard and stops hard. It’s a little heavier to flick side-to-side than a 250, too. The front wheel is always in the air, so you’re never really steering with the handlebars; you’ve got to steer with your body. The close-firing-order engines have made the bikes a little more tractable, so that’s helped a few' people.
1 would like to see some top-line Superbike riders on a 500, because the Superbike style is a little more like that of a 500, more so than a 250. Take Alberto Puig, for instance.
Fie wasn't a consistent front-runner on a 250, but I think his style suits the 500s better.
You had a nasty crash in Holland in 1992 and yet this year you came back and won that GP. Where do you find the mental strength after an experience like that?
A It was an unfortunate accident; we were just running-in a set of pistons. It wasn’t like 1 was over the limit and crashed, so my mental approach was exactly the same. It was a matter of trying to overcome the physical difficulties. I had to find a way to ride as well as before without a rear brake, without the mobility in my ankle and so on. That took some time. I’ve changed my riding style a little, in the way that I position myself and my feet on the bike. I think most riders-guys like Schwantz, Rainey, Lawson, Gardner or Beattie-are mentally strong enough to work out what happened in a crash and progress beyond it.
Has Wayne Rainey’s accident been on your mind?
Obviously, I was quite upset w'hen Wayne got injured. It hit me hard because we had been racing together for quite a while. But it’s part of racing. It’s an unfortunate side to it, and one we don’t like to look at. I’m just happy to see him back at the racetrack, doing fine and getting on w'ith his life.
You talk about the mental strength of 500 riders. What does it take to find this strength?
I think about racing all the time, even in the off-season. Willpower and determination have a lot to do with it. A lot of people find it difficult to get close to me because I’m always thinking about racing motorcycles, and ! can’t seem to concentrate so hard on other things.
Is there no other way to win a world championship than to be focused 100 percent on the goal?
A That’s just the way I am. I’m concentrating the whole time. Every night before I go to sleep, I’m doing laps in my head. I can’t say that's the way you have to be, that’s just the way I am.
So, you never relax during the season?
V Sure, but most of the time I’m doing something to prepare for what’s happening ahead. Obviously, I can relax more in the off-season. The best way to do that is to get out with friends on a boat, isolated from civilization. After a day or a w'eek like that, I’m ready to go again.
Would you be interested in other forms of racing after concluding your roadracing career?
A I might do some boat racing just for fun, something to keep a bit of an adrenaline rush.
Would you be interested in becoming a roadracing team manager?
No, that’s not for me. Not at this stage, anyway. I’ll probably dwindle away and nobody will hear from me again. I know that I’m not going to race cars; I don’t think my foot would allow' me to be competitive. Racing a boat is different. I grew up around boats. I love the water, and it would be fun to compete against some friends again.
What are your dreams, now' that you’ve won the world championship?
Just to win the title again. The drive is the same. Winning hasn’t taken the drive away. 1 love racing motorcycles, and I love winning motorcycle races.
