Tag Archives: Mick Doohan

Australian MotoGP Cancelled

The Phillip Island MotoGP round won’t be happening this year – and five-time 500cc world champion Mick Doohan isn’t too happy about it. 

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation board member isn’t the only one gritting his teeth.  With ongoing restrictions costing last year’s Aussie Grand Prix to fold, riders and viewers alike were looking forward to the next race to unite the track – in the case of Doohan’s frustrations, for an Aussie to win it.

Jack Miller and Remy Gardner, two Aussies connected to the Aussie Grand Prix
Aussie homestars Jack Miller and Remy Gardner

According to a report from Crash.net, two Aussies were carrying a lot of potential for this year’s home race.  Factory Ducati rider and home star Jack Miller had been winning races in the premier class, and with future Tech3 KTM rider Remy Gardner leading the Moto2 world championship, chances were high for an Aussie win.

Besides that, fans were simply eager to see things return to normal after the restrictions of 2020. 

cartoon caricatures of Jack Miller and Remy Gardner waiting for the next MotoGP Race
Phillip Island Christmas cards of 2020/2021, prior to the most recent restrictions.

“I’m totally devastated that we’re not hosting the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix again this year at Phillip Island,” says Doohan, “especially with the form we’ve got with Jack Miller in MotoGP and Remy Gardner in Moto2, who could have been in a position to win the championship overall at Phillip Island”. 

While fans are exempt from the view at Phillip Island for 2021, they will still be able to look forward to next year’s rounds, where Miller and Gardner will be sharing the same grid. 

 front view of Carmelo Ezpeleta
MotoGP boss Carmelo Ezpeleta

Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta released the following in a statement:

“Unfortunately, we will have to wait another year to return to Victoria, but we very much look forward to seeing the Australian fans in 2022 and staging another fantastic event together – this time with two home heroes, Jack Miller and Remy Gardner, on the premier class grid when we return”.

Paul Little, Australian Grand Prix Corporation Chairman
Andrew Westacott, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (L) listens to Paul Little, Australian Grand Prix Corporation Chairman

Paul Little, Australian Grand Prix Corporation Chairman, mirrors these sentiments. 

“I would like to reassure our motivated and professional staff, suppliers, and partners, as well as the Victorian tourism and major events community, that we will work tirelessly to deliver these iconic events in 2022.”

Fingers crossed for 2022, and make sure to support the riders by staying up to date on all things MotoGP!

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Flashback Friday | Doohan wins his first 500cc Title

1994
The first 500cc title for Mick Doohan

On this day, August 21, at the 1994 Czech Grand Prix, Mick Doohan clinched his first 500cc World Championship crown.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer – Image by Phil Aynsley

He did so in fine style with with three races still remaining and won the title by 143-points after winning nine rounds in the 14-round season on his Showa suspended and Michelin shod NSR500.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer – Image by Phil Aynsley

Doohan then went on to win a further four titles in succession before an injury early in 1999 forced him into retirement.

After his right ankle fusion in 1992 Doohan had taken to using a thumb-brake set-up on the left bar to control the rear brake. The 1994 bike also sometimes sported a rear suspension adjuster on the left bar.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer – Image by Phil Aynsley

Mick Doohan on that 1994 World Championship
Taken from Motocourse

All year long I tried to put the World Championship out of my mind. That wasn’t easy. Apart from being reminded of it all the time by other people, winning the title has to be every Grand Prix rider’s ambition, or else he wouldn’t be there.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer – The engine had a 54 mm bore and 54.5 mm stroke – Image by Phil Aynsley

“I’d already faced the disappointment in 1992 of being in the lead and losing it through injury, and I didn’t want to go through that again. I just tried to approach it race by race, and let the points take care of themselves. Now it’s over and I feel as though I can enjoy it.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
1994 Honda NSR500 – Twin-spar extruded section aluminium frame – Tapered roller head bearings – Image by Phil Aynsley

“I have to thank Honda, of course, and also Michelin and Elf, for all their technical and other support. And especially my team. My crew chief Jeremy Burgess is more than a partner in my success. He’s a vital part of it; and people just don’t realise the amount of work he and his crew have put into this. 

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
1994 NSR500 – The 494.6 cc two-stroke engine had five transfer and two exhaust ports – Image by Phil Aynsley

“I also owe everything to the doctors wo brought me back to race fitness in 1992: Dr. Costa, who probably saved my leg from amputation, and Dr. Louie and Dr. Ting in the USA, who helped repair the damage. Without them, I might not have been able to walk, let alone race.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
1994 NSR500 – 320 mm carbon-fibre discs and four-piston Brembos – Image by Phil Aynsley

“Winning the World Championship won’t change me. I’m just an ordinary guy who was lucky enough to have the opportunity and the determination, and I’m still the same person as champion as I was before I was champion.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer – Image by Phil Aynsley

“That’s not say victory isn’t sweet. I’m thrilled to have won. Now We” start working on trying to win next year as well.”

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
1994 NSR500 – A pair of twin-choke Keihin 36 mm carburettors provided the low-lead fuel – Image by Phil Aynsley

The best of the rest

Second in that 1994 World Championship was Luca Cadalora on a Yamaha YZR500 by two-points over the Cagiva mounted John Kocinski.

Cagiva C ImagePA AustralianGP Kocinsk
John Kocinski won the opening round at Eastern Creek, that was the only round he won in 1994 – Image Phil Aynsley

Kocinski won the opening round at Eastern Creek but that was the only round he won that year. Cadalora took two victories late in the season to clinch second place in the championship.

Cagiva C ImagePA
Cagiva C594 GP Racer with aluminium swingarm

The Cagiva had overheating issues but was also interesting from an engineering perspective thanks to its carbon-fibre front frame, alloy middle and sometimes the team also ran a carbon-fibre swing-arm.

Cagiva C ImagePA AustralianGP Kocinsk
John Kocinski on the Cagiva C594 – Image Phil Aysnley

It also sported an interesting anti-dive system with variable rate linkages mated to a conventional mechanical system.

Cagiva C ImagePA
Cagiva C594 – Image Phil Aysnley

The caliper was mounted on a trailing link that pivoted at the axle, which operated an adjustable link which in turn was connected to the steering head.

Cagiva C ImagePA
Cagiva C594 – Image Phil Aysnley

Kevin Schwantz  took two wins before crashing at the famous Laguna Seca corkscrew which hosted round 12 of the 14-round championship.

Kevin Schwantz’s 1994 factory XR84
Kevin Schwantz’s 1994 Suzuki RGV500 XR84 – Image Phil Aynsley

Schwantz dislocated his left hip and fractured his right scaphoid. The Texan sat out the remaining races in the ’94 season and have an operation as soon as possible to be able to begin winter testing earlier in preparation for the ’95 season.

Kevin Schwantz's 1994 Suzuki RGV500 XR84
Kevin Schwantz’s 1994 Suzuki RGV500 XR84 – Image Phil Aynsley

This was a period where half the grid were on Yamaha machinery after the Japanese manufacturer had during that era embarked on a plan whereby they would sell Factory engines and provide chassis data to independent manufacturers such as Harris and ROC. 46 different riders started 500cc races throughout the season and 36 of those had been on Yamaha powered machinery. However, only around 30 of those 46 were regular starters throughout the whole championship.

Other interesting notes from the 1994 season were that Mick Doohan’s brother Scott also competed in the opening round at Eastern Creek where he scored a highly creditable 12th place finish on a Harris Yamaha backed by Shell.

1994 was a trying season for Daryl Beattie with then then 23-year-old struggling on a Team Roberts Marlboro Yamaha. A crash at Le Mans also saw Daryl lose all the toes from his foot after it was caught up between the chain and sprocket. In the races he did finish however they were all in the top ten with a best of 5th at the Catalunya finale. Daryl bounced back the following year, 1995, where he signed with Suzuki and went on to have his best season and challenged Doohan for the title.

1994 also marked the first of a 23-year-old Max Biaggi’s 250cc World Championship crowns while 28-year-old Kazuto Sakata won the 125cc Championship to make it a double for Aprilia.

Both of those minor crowns were taken after titanic season long tussles. Biaggi triumphing over Tadayuki Okada, Loris Capirossi, Doriano Romboni and Ralf Waldmann. The only Australians to make 250 starts in 1994 were Craig Connell, who like countryman Rene Bongers only competed in the Eastern Creek season opener where he finished a creditable 11th. Bongers came home a lap down in 23rd place.

The leading protagonists in the 125cc fight taking it up to Sakata had been Noburo Ueda, Takeshi Tsujimura, Dirk Raudies and Peter Ottl.  Garry McCoy scored a couple of podiums but missed the final few rounds and along with a couple of retirements that saw the Australian place only 13th in the championship.

Another interesting note that stands in stark contrast to today is that in both the 250cc and 125cc classes there were more Japanese riders than Spanish or Italian riders taking part. In the 125cc category Japanese riders finished 1-2-3 in the championship.


1994 500cc World Championship Final Points

Pos

Rider Bike Nation Points
1 Mick DOOHAN Honda AUS 317
2 Luca CADALORA Yamaha ITA 174
3 John KOCINSKI Cagiva USA 172
4 Kevin SCHWANTZ Suzuki USA 169
5 Alberto PUIG Honda SPA 152
6 Alex CRIVILLE Honda SPA 144
7 Shinichi ITO Honda JPN 141
8 Alex BARROS Suzuki BRA 134
9 Doug CHANDLER Cagiva USA 96
10 Niall MACKENZIE Yamaha GBR 69
11 Bernard GARCIA Yamaha FRA 56
12 Jeremy McWILLIAMS Yamaha GBR 49
13 Daryl BEATTIE Yamaha AUS 44
14 John REYNOLDS Yamaha GBR 43
15 Sean EMMETT Yamaha GBR 34
16 Juan LOPEZ MELLA Yamaha SPA 26
17 Norick ABE Yamaha JPN 20
18 Laurent NAVEAU Yamaha BEL 19
19 Jean Pierre JEANDAT Yamaha FRA 17
20 Cristiano MIGLIORATI Yamaha ITA 12
21 Marc GARCIA Yamaha FRA 11
22 Toshihiko HONMA Yamaha JPN 10
23 Jean FORAY Yamaha FRA 8
24 Loris REGGIANI Aprilia ITA 7
25 Bernard HAENGGELI Yamaha SWI 7
26 Julian MIRALLES Yamaha SPA 7
27 Bruno BONHUIL Yamaha FRA 7
28 Hervi MOINEAU Yamaha FRA 5
29 Scott DOOHAN Yamaha AUS 4
30 Udo MARK Yamaha GER 2
31 Lucio PEDERCINI Yamaha ITA 2
32 Neil HODGSON Yamaha GBR 1
32 Andrew STROUD Yamaha NZE 1

1994 250cc World Championship

Pos

Rider Bike Nation Points
1 Max BIAGGI Aprilia ITA 234
2 Tadayuki OKADA Honda JPN 214
3 Loris CAPIROSSI Honda ITA 199
4 Doriano ROMBONI Honda ITA 170
5 Ralf WALDMANN Honda GER 156
6 Jean Philippe RUGGIA Aprilia FRA 149
7 Tetsuya HARADA Yamaha JPN 109
8 Jean Michel BAYLE Aprilia FRA 105
9 Luis D’ANTIN Honda SPA 100
10 Nobuatsu AOKI Honda JPN 95
11 Wilco ZEELENBERG Honda NED 84
12 Carlos CHECA Honda SPA 54
13 Eskil SUTER Aprilia SWI 42
14 Adrian BOSSHARD Honda SWI 34
15 Andy PREINING Aprilia AUT 30
16 Patrick vd GOORBERGH Aprilia NED 27
17 Jurgen vd GOORBERGH Aprilia NED 24
18 Kenny ROBERTS JR Yamaha USA 23
19 Tohru UKAWA Honda JPN 16
20 Marcellino LUCCHI Aprilia ITA 11
20 Takuma AOKI Honda JPN 11
22 Toshihiko HONMA Yamaha JPN 11
23 Alessandro GRAMIGNI Aprilia ITA 10
24 Luis Carlos MAUREL Honda SPA 10
25 Bernd KASSNER Aprilia GER 9
26 Giuseppe FIORILLO Honda ITA 8
27 Adi STADLER Honda GER 8
28 Craig CONNELL Honda AUS 5
29 Miguel CASTILLA Yamaha SPA 5
30 Juan BORJA Honda SPA 5
31 Jose Luis CARDOSO Aprilia SPA 2

1994 125cc World Championship

Pos Rider Bike Nation Points
1 Kazuto SAKATA Aprilia JPN 224
2 Noboru UEDA Honda JPN 194
3 Takeshi TSUJIMURA Honda JPN 190
4 Dirk RAUDIES Honda GER 162
5 Peter OETTL Aprilia GER 160
6 Jorge MARTINEZ Yamaha SPA 135
7 Stefano PERUGINI Aprilia ITA 106
8 Masaki TOKUDOME Honda JPN 87
9 Oliver PETRUCCIANI Aprilia SWI 74
10 Herri TORRONTEGUI Aprilia SPA 73
11 Hideyuki NAKAJOH Honda JPN 70
12 Haruchika AOKI Honda JPN 59
13 Garry McCOY Aprilia AUS 56
14 Akira SAITO Honda JPN 53
15 Loek BODELIER Honda NED 48
16 Fausto GRESINI Honda ITA 46
17 Gianluigi SCALVINI Aprilia ITA 32
18 Oliver KOCH Honda GER 30
19 Carlos GIRO Jr. Aprilia SPA 26
20 Tomomi MANAKO Honda JPN 24
21 Stefan PREIN Yamaha GER 17
22 Emilio ALZAMORA Honda SPA 16
23 Bruno CASANOVA Honda ITA 15
24 Gabriele DEBBIA Aprilia ITA 11
25 Manfred GEISSLER Aprilia GER 9
26 Yoshiaki KATOH Yamaha JPN 8
27 Emilio CUPPINI Aprilia ITA 7
28 Tomoko IGATA Honda JPN 7
29 Roberto LOCATELLI Aprilia ITA 6
30 Lucio CECCHINELLO Honda ITA 5
31 Kunihiro AMANO Honda JPN 4
32 Juan Enrique MATURANA Yamaha SPA 4
33 Frederic PETIT Yamaha FRA 2

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Source: MCNews.com.au

Mick Doohan talks Marquez and Miller

Mick Doohan Interview

Following injury to defending MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, five-time motorcycle World Champion Mick Doohan spoke with Fox Sports reporter Chris Stubbs, ahead of the Grand Prix of Andalucia at Jerez, this Sunday to talk about all things MotoGP.

We have taken some of the most pertinent bits from that conversation and reproduced them for you here. If it doesn’t flow particularly well it is because we have just pulled the more juicy bits out, and not that Mick was all over the place. The headline image is from Honda’s 60 years of racing celebration 12 months ago.

Mick on the season opener

It was an interesting race, very unpredictable in a way, from what the qualifying and practice sessions displayed. Marc was always going to be a contender, the Yamahas were consistent, Marc had the outright speed but for one reason or another ran off and almost crashed early in the race, before then clawing his way back up to third and then that turn three, which is an easy corner to crash on to be honest, from reasonably slow to accelerating hard and he unfortunately hurt himself. But all in all it was good to see the bikes back on track and give everyone enough motorsport for the weekend.

MotoGP Jerez podium
1 Fabio Quartararo – Petronas Yamaha SRT – Yamaha – 41:23.796
2 Maverick Viñales – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha – +4.603
3 Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati – +5.946

And on that bloke Marc Marquez

Marc rarely crashes in a race but quite often crashes in practice sessions, I think maybe even once or twice on the weekend. As soon as I saw the bike hit him, to me that looked where the damage was caused, you could see the arm was fairly loose, as if it had either dislocated or broken, but you knew there was some injury. You could see straight away that he was a bit hesitant to move it too much, so I was just hoping he wasn’t too hurt because of all these races being back-to-back-to-back-to-back, and we are going to lose the championship contender, or one of the contenders, but really bar injury looking at the sheets you would have to say he was on course for another title.

“That said Quartararo was always going to be tough for him to beat, had he beaten him on the day who knows, but back to Marc it is a shame to see him actually injure himself, I believe it is just the humerus on his right arm and I am not sure as to what other damage he sustained in the crash.

“There is no doubting how quick he is, I think he has all his competitors scratching their heads as to where he finds his speed, he went back down to 17th or 18th, and I am sure he is thinking from where ever he is now in hindsight that he should have probably settled for that third or whatever it was before had the crash, but you know that’s not in his nature, it’s not in his DNA to take second best. He felt as though he could win, and failing that crash, I believe he doesn’t run much traction control, but you can see when the bike lit up he was actually on the painted kerb, so whether or not that sort of helped the bike spin and flick him off the way it did, but all in all it was one of the better rides and that is what makes MotoGP so exciting.

“You know in car racing it is difficult to come from the back of the field, especially in dry conditions, but to come all the way through he certainly showed there how good the racing in MotoGP is. We have seen it in the past with Valentino Rossi coming from the back of the grid and all the way through to the podium, MotoGP is such a good spectacle like that. But at the end of the day it is unfortunate that we might not see Marc do it again for a little while.

“It wouldn’t be Marc to just sit there, he had come through the pack so quickly and was all over the back of Vinales when he crashed, Vinales did seem to pick the pace up a little bit, but you know, should he have been in that much of a rush, there was still enough laps really to perhaps try and get Fabio but as an ex-racer, that mind-set.. You know I am sure he is sitting back where ever he is now and thinking about the way things should have unfolded but in the real life situation outside of racing we all have those type of bright spark moments where we think we should have done this or done that, but you know he is a racer, and he wins because he is so…. Well number one he is just so talented, but number two he does push it to the limit every single time and evey single lap he is out there, and that’s what we all love watching him for and that is what he is respected for, so if he was to start to roll off and think about his approach to racing differently he would be a different rider.. I suspect he will come back and he won’t be any different.

“Hopefully the arm will be strong enough in a few weeks, I don’t think he will have the full strength required to man-handle the MotoGP bike, they are not that heavy in comparison to a street-bike but you’ve still got 300+ horsepower and 150kg of bike that doesn’t want to turn, stopping from incredible speeds, and just the physicality of moving yourself all around the bike. Basically all the stopping power is on the front brake so he needs his right hand for that and the gas and also to steer it so there is a fair bit happening with that right arm, more so than the left, so it is not going to be an easy recovery for him because there is no time to recover, there is not a weekend off or two weekends off, they are just back-to-back-to-back so I think MotoGP is going to be a little bit different without him being in there and in the mix for a little while, but that said I think the Yamaha, especially at that circuit, they look to be strong, and maybe they will continue on and we can see some great racing, and watch for Marc to be coming back through the pack as he gets stronger.

“If the soft tissue element side of it gets strong enough quick enough then he will be back doing the same thing and not thinking about finishing second if he thinks he can finish first, and that’s what makes him a multi-time World Champion.”

MotoGP Rnd Thailand Race Marquez HRC
Marc Marquez with the Honda brass and the 8 Ball after wrapping up the 2019 MotoGP World Championship in Thailand last year

Doohan also crashed in that part of the track at Jerez

I think in 1995 I was leading the race there and I crashed in that exact same spot, and crashed out of the race, but it was madness to crash but that is again, back to the racers DNA to just keep pushing, I was about six-seconds ahead in that same spot, same sort of crash but the bike didn’t hit me.

“Then in 1999 I was out of that turn and on the white line on the exit before going into the next one where I just touched that and it was damp.

“For sure I know the circuit, I know the corner, and I have crashed there twice and once with career ending injuries, but I don’t really go back to the space and that go well that feels like me, I was more hoping that it was just a walk away incident injury-free for him, although it is quick, there is probably second to third gear so say somewhere between 140 to 180 km/h when he has launched off the bike, so still reasonably quick, but almost slow enough to, quite often on these bikes you get hurt on the slow-speed high-sides because you are not like a skimming rock, so the thing has just flipped him up and he slammed down and landed in front of the bike and that is what happened to break his arm. 

“The faster ones, even mine in 1999 where I was a bit quicker due to being further out of the turn, a bit over 200 km/h, and I hit the gravel trap feet-first and then flipped into the wall, the sudden stop really did all the damage to me.  But generally the faster, not always, but quite often, if you skim like a rock on a fast high-speed turn you are pretty good.”

The opening round of the season has taken a heavy toll

Coming back from injuries as fast as possible…

I knew I could hurt myself, okay I hurt myself, what is the quickest way back, that is the mind-set of any sportsman or sportswoman. How do I get back as quickly as I can, let’s take option A.

“I am pretty sure at the end of if 1989 in a test, at Suzuki in Japan, it was a very cold day, back in those earlier days the tyre warming, especially in tests, wasn’t that important. The track temperature was that cold that it spun up in a straight line at about 160 km/h and flicked me over the top, and when I landed broke my left humerus, and I did exactly as what we saw Marc did, sat there and went to move up and could feel the bones grind, sounds worse than it is, but you start thinking well that is not a feeling I really enjoy….  Then basically the mind goes straight to how do I get back testing….I think Wayne Gardner was my team-mate at that period, and I think we were testing the following month somewhere in the world, I can’t remember where, but I got it bolted together and then at the end of that season I had the hardware removed to give you a chance to break it again if you need to, instead of shattering it with all the metal in there.”

Is the Honda that hard to ride?

“Dani Pedrosa was his team-mate and win a couple of races a year and push him, but I don’t think it is an easy bike to ride, for sure, the Honda has always got an inherent trait of not wanting to turn, it will lean over, but it still won’t want to turn. Always got good power, but you have to physically man-handle it compared to some of the other bikes… especially if you are used to riding one of those other bikes, which are probably a little more stable going into turns and through the middle of the turn and able to change direction, instead of a one-line type bike… the Honda is pretty much get the thing in there and that is where you are going to stay, and then you want to fire it out.

“Are there other people who can ride it, absolutely there is, are the right people on the bike at the moment, well I am not close enough to it to really say that but, you know Honda technologically are a superior company than some of the others, Yamaha are probably their biggest competitor in that aspect, but if they needed to change the bike or the handling of the bike just a little bit to suit another rider, I think they would.

“You know the bikes have always been notoriously difficult to ride, right back from when Wayne Gardner was riding them and when he won his championship, to Freddie Spencer, all the way through…you know if you look back through the history of the sport really there are only a couple of guys at the front who were doing different things than the other guys on the bikes which were similar behind them so…

“Marc has just been that far head and shoulders above the field, let alone the other guys on the Honda….you know I think if Honda get behind the next guy, if there is a next guy coming through, then… His brother hasn’t really had any time to test or anything really, but he seems a little gun-shy of it at the moment, but you know maybe Pol Espargaro might go well…Cal Crutchlow has shown signs of brilliance occasionally but for me he is just a little bit inconsistent, but it does show that the bike is capable, especially in qualifying, it’s just the likes of Marc can do it lap after lap after lap.. so yeah the bike isn’t easy to ride, but nor are any of them.”

Jerez MotoGP

Can Marc win the championship?

“He can, if he is strong enough, depends of course on how many races he will miss, but you know he has won previous championships by four maybe five race margins, I would have to go back and have a look exactly but he has certainly won with a very clear margin over his next competitor.

“Number one if he does go out there and put the pressure on and starts winning, winning, winning then that puts the pressure back on to the guy he is chasing, then that rider could make a mistake then that closes the gap even quicker.

“You know the good thing about watching Marc and MotoGP is, but mainly Marc, is you just never know what is going to happen, you never say it is impossible with Marc, because, honestly, the guy has a different mind-set, and that goes back to what we were talking about with the bike, he is prepared to do what others aren’t…you know it wouldn’t matter what bike he was on, he would make it look for everyone else on that bike as though the bike is difficult to ride, if he was on a Yamaha it would be the same.

“He has 100 per cent got a chance…. He has already missed one, let’s say, as he scored no points, even if he missed these next two and then came back, or even if he only misses this weekend, he will still score points as soon as he comes back, even with one arm, because he is that good, as long as he doesn’t fatigue he will score some points, and that will just motivate him to just keep getting stronger..”

Marc Marquez post surgery this week

What about Jack Miller?

“Jack is now on a factory bike, and next year on the full factory squad, and you know he is maturing and he certainly has got the pace…. touch wood, again, he doesn’t make that many silly mistakes, like he has in the past, and when I say silly I really mean just pushing and learning basically…he is certainly capable of winning the championship and fourth on the weekend was a great start to the season….with the season being so compact this year, back-to-back-to-back and realistically at this stage we don’t know exactly how many races there is going to be, scoring points is what you need and if he can go one better and maintain podiums for the duration, then he is in the hunt.

“I certainly think there are going to be some wet races, this year in Europe there seems to be a fair amount of rain about, and Jack is great in the wet, he is good in qualifying and quite often on the front row so he is in the box seat to make it happen.

“It would be great this year, but certainly within the next couple of years he is World Championship material without a doubt, I think he is understanding what it takes every day he is out there, more and more, to obtain that championship.”

Jack Miller

So who is the favourite in Mick Doohan’s mind?

“Quartararo was always going to be strong, he has been strong in qualifying, well last year he was the dominant qualifier really, and Marc sort of played with him a couple of times in the races and made him feel like he was going to win some races, and perhaps that might have been the same on the weekend if Marc hadn’t crashed, but Quartararo is championship material, he is certainly consistent, he is fast, I think if he gets another win under his belt you will see his confidence grow and he will just get faster and faster, I think he is certainly a championship contender.

“Vinales has been up and down over the years.. He has always won the off-season testing championship, he’s always been quick then… He got a quick start in Jerez and if he can keep that going then he is going to be a challenger.  Both Fabio and Vinales are on the same bikes, same level of equipment, so it could be a Yamaha year…

“And the rest of it, I am not sure that the Suzuki is really in the play as yet and let’s not discard Dovizioso. Okay he hurt himself with that dirt-bike accident and did a collar-bone, but he was also up there and got on the podium in the end at the season opener. He is certainly capable of winning, he is mature enough, if Ducati can keep the motivation and keep the bike on track….I think you know as far as the Ducati squad it will be good for him and Miller to be pushing each other for that honour of best Ducati, and that might push them towards a championship, either one of those guys.”

Fabio Quartararo – The win was also his eighth podium so far in MotoGP, not a bad hit rate for a new rider only 20 races into this premier class career

Is Rossi out of contention?

“Look you can never say never with Valentino, he is 41-years-old and put it on the second row in qualifying, he is sort of in and around there the whole time.

“How do you say this, with respect to the guy, I think if there is an opportunity, and I think the opportunities need to present themselves, if there is an opportunity he is going to be there and able to win a race.

“He was on the podium a couple of times last year from memory, so he is certainly no slouch, he is double the age of some of these guys on the grid. Is a championship in his grasp at the moment, it’s not something that comes to mind that he is going to be a championship favourite but you can never discard him and we are only one round in so let’s see, he certainly been doing plenty of racing in the off-season at his dirt facility, with all the other Italians and whoever else wants to come, so the motivation is 100 per cent there, he is committed, he is passionate and he is performing well, so I wouldn’t discard him but you know the younger generation just probably have more hunger than what he has right at the moment. but for him and the sport it is great to see him in and amongst it all.”

Valentino Rossi

Thanks to Fox Sports for the audio. The Fox Sports  MotoGP commentary team is back in studio on Sunday night for the Grand Prix of Andalucia, at the Jerez circuit, with stand-in Host Tara Rushton, alongside experts Chris Vermeulen and Kevin Magee.

Foxtel subscribers can stream FoxSports MotoGP coverage – anywhere, anytime using Foxtel GO and Foxtel Now.

Fox Sports is available on Foxtel, Foxtel GO, Foxtel Now and Kayo Sports

Source: MCNews.com.au

Bike memorabilia to aid bushfire appeal

Former volunteer firefighter John England is selling his collection of Aussie motorcycle racing memorabilia and donating a portion to aid the bushfire appeal.

John says his collection of 22 commemorative bottles of Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix port, six Mick Doohan plates, various mirrors, signed prints and collectible toys could be worth as much as $10,000.

“But it’s only worth what someone is prepared to pay,” says the Logan City rider whose Can-Am Spyder we featured in a 2014 article.

John and Rose England's patriotic Can-Am Spyder and trailerJohn and Rose England’s patriotic Can-Am Spyder and trailer

He is also selling his 1981 Honda Bol d’Or 900, bored out to 1000cc, with handmade exhausts.

John and his wife, Rose, plan to retire this year and hit the road in their caravan, towing their Can-Am Spyder around the country.

“We don’t want this collection gathering dust in storage, so we thought we would sell it,” John says.

“I used to be a volunteer firefighter, so we’d be happy to make a donation of a portion of the sale of this collection.”

“I just want it go to a motorcycle lover who appreciates it.”Memorabilia bushfire appeal

He says he would prefer to sell it as one collection and the bike separately.

However, he would also consider splitting it up, preferably in groups such as all the ports or all six commemorative plates honouring Mick’s five consecutive GP titles plus a sixth lap of honour plate.

John, a former Sydney track racer, started collecting when he bought the first Australian GP port for $25 in 1989.Memorabilia bushfire appeal

John has been told by the seller of the commemorative port that his first bottle could now be worth as much as $500.

“How that didn’t get drunk I’ll never know,” he laughs.

“It was all bought to drink. I’d usually buy two bottles each year; drink one and keep one.”

The commemorative port line ceased in 2008 and John has one from each year.

He also has a Harley-Davidson-styled port holder with six ports released each year. He says the “gearbox” bottle of port, alone, cost $196.

Memorabilia bushfire appealHarley port carrier

Most of the items in his collection come with certificates or letters of authenticity.

If you are interested in buying his collection and helping the bushfire appeal, you can contact John on 0408 880616.

Bushfire appealToby Price KTM team

Like many Aussie sports stars and celebrities, two-time Dakar rally winner Toby Price and MotoGP racer Jack Miller are raising money for the bushfire appeal.

Toby is auctioning his starting jersey and pants with proceeds going to the NSW Rural Fire Service.

It is open worldwide, just send in your bid in Australian dollars on his Facebook page or Instagram.

Current highest bid is still $13,001.

Auction closes on 18 January at 5pm (AEST).

If you can’t bid, please donate on this link. So far he has raised $2777.

Jack Miller's MotoGP helmetJack Miller’s MotoGP helmet

Aussie MotoGP racer Jack Miller is also putting his 2018 MotoGP helmet up for auction to raise money for the bushfire crisis.

The auction is open worldwide until Friday at 5pm (AEST).

Bushfire appeals

There is a host of bushfire appeals you can donate to. See the list below.

Otherwise, we suggest helping local communities by waiting until the emergency has passed, then visiting the areas and spending your money on fuel, food and gifts.

Royal Enfield Australia has announced a five-day “Coastal Tour” departing from Melbourne on 7 March 2020, navigating the east coast to Noosa on 11 March.

The event is open to all Royal Enfield riders for the full ride or partial rides in their local areas. Click here to register.

• Australian Red Cross Disaster Response and Recovery Fund;

• WIRES Emergency Fund for Wildlife;

• Port Macquarie Koala Hospital GoFundMe;

• Bendigo Bank Bushfire Disaster Appeal;

• Vinnies Bushfire Appeal;

• Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park owner Dana Mitchell’s GoFundMe;

• Fire Relief Fund for First Nations Communities GoFundMe;

• Mallacoota Fires Support Fund for East Gippsland on GoFundMe;

• Australian photographer Kara Rosenlund’s koala crisis bushfire recovery GoFundMe;

• Mogo Zoo on the NSW South Coast GoFundMe established by MP Emma Husar;

• South Australian Adelaide Hills Wine Region Fire Appeal GoFundMe;

• A GoFundMe to rebuild the Bargo Dingo Sanctuary in NSW;

• The Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund appeal for fire-affected East Gippsland communities; and

• Zoos Victoria Bushfire Emergency Wildlife Fund.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Mick Doohan’s championship winning 1998 NSR500

Mick Doohan’s 1998 championship winning NSR500

With Phil Aynsley


Continuing on from the last column (Doohan 1994 Honda NSR500 – Link), the other NSR from Mick Doohan’s collection I shot was the 1998 bike.

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Mick Doohan’s championship winning 1998 NSR500
Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick went back to the screamer motor from 1997

For the 1997 season Mick requested that his bikes revert back to the 180 degree “screamer” motor.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
By now the NSR500 was producing near on 200hp
Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan’s championship winning 1998 NSR500

Advances to the electronics and tyres since 1991 meant the power (now near 200hp), while not totally tamed, was able to be used by those riders with the most ability.

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Mick Doohan’s championship winning 1998 NSR500

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePAMick went on to win 12 of the 15 races, with Alex Crivillé taking two and Tady Okada one for a NSR clean sweep of the top four places.

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Mick led the Honda domination of the 1997 season, a feat he would repeat in 1998
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Power was reduced slightly in the 1998 machine with unleaded fuel now in use

The 1998 bike retained the “screamer” motor but power was reduced by up to five per cent due the new regulations requiring the use of unleaded fuel.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
The benefit of the move to unleaded fuel was a boost in torque
Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
A hydraulic clutch was also new on Mick’s 1998 NSR500

However torque was improved resulting in better traction and acceleration.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Doohan went on to win eight of the 14 races for the season in 1998

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePAOne other change to the motor specification was the adoption of a hydraulically operated clutch. Mick won 8 of the 14 races and his final championship.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
The bike was rebuilt for Doohan prior to the handover

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePAThe bike received a full rebuild by Honda technicians before being handed to Mick and is fitted with special presentation tyres from Michelin.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan’s championship winning 1998 NSR500

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan’s championship winning 1998 NSR500

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
The hydraulic clutch at the ‘bars

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePAHonda NSR Doohan ImagePA

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan’s championship winning 1998 NSR500

Source: MCNews.com.au

Mick Doohan’s 1994 Honda NSR500 GP bike

1994 Honda NSR500 GP
Mick Doohan

With Phil Aynsley


I made reference in a recent column (Eddie Lawson’s 1989 NSR500 | With Phil Aynsley – link) to the fact that there are extremely few Honda NSR500 motorcycles outside the factory.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer

Undoubtedly the largest number in private hands are Mick Doohan’s five World Championship winning bikes.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer
Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer exhausts

I was lucky enough to be able to spend a day photographing a couple of these recently.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer front brakes
Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer dash

I started with his first, the 1994 bike. It continued to use the “big bang” firing order motor that had been introduced in 1992.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
The 1994 NSR500 retained the big-bang firing order
Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
The big-bang engine was found to help traction, torque and acceleration

This had all four cylinders firing within about 70 degrees of each other. Torque, traction and acceleration had all been markedly improved with this design, as was the overall ease of use.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer
Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer

A heavier balance shaft (originally introduced when the cylinder angle had been increased from 90 to 112 degrees back in 1987) also helped ridability.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Fuel injected was tested on Shinichi Itoh’s bike but did not offer enough gains to be adopted
Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
A water-injection system to cool the exhausts was also tested

As an aside during 1993 Honda experimented with electronic fuel injection on Shinichi Itoh’s bikes but it was deemed not enough of an advance over the standard carburettors to warrant continuing with.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer
Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer

One interesting feature that was introduced during 1994 was water-injection into the exhausts.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer
Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer

The cooling effect and resultant lowering of the gas speed gave an increase of 10 hp in the 6000 to 10,000 rpm range.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer
Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer

Mick chose to use the normal motor however as the carburation was compromised by the injection.

Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer
Honda NSR Doohan ImagePA
Mick Doohan 1994 NSR500 racer

Source: MCNews.com.au

Wayne Rainey back on track after 26 years

Wayne Rainey says it “made me feel young again” to hop on a specially adapted Yamaha R1 recently after being sidelined for 26 years by a crash that left him paralysed from the waist down.

The three-time world champion and long-time sparring partner with five-time champ Mick Doohan was asked by Yamaha if he would like to take part in the Suzuka Sound of Engine event in Japan next weekend (15/16 November 2019).

Yamaha has prepared a special R1 with a hand-shifter, grippy saddle and clips to hold Wayne’s boots on the pegs.

Wayne tested the bike at California’s Willow Springs Circuit last week and couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.

“I had a blast,” he says.

“It made me feel young again.”

Wayne Rainey’s fateful crash

Wayne, 32, was leading the 1993 Italian Grand Prix at Misano when he slid off the track into the gravel and was hit by his bike.

He broke his back, punctured a lung and was left paralysed from the middle of his chest down.

Wayne had not ridden since until his recent R1 test.

“It was an easy crash because it stepped out and I fell off the side of it,” later said of the crash.

“I was like sliding with the bike across the track but when I went off the track I hit a curb. It kind of set me up in the air then I landed in the gravel trap it had like speed bumps in it for the F1 cars and at that time that’s what we were using in motorcycles.”

“Now all the sand traps are smooth but sometimes it takes a big incident to get something changed.”

Wayne’s Marlboro Team Roberts YZR500 was a constant challenger to Doohan on his Rothmans Honda NSR500.

Wayne Rainey
Wayne leads Mick in 1992 at Catalunya

“Mick and I had some good races and I respect him as a rider,” he once said.

“With Mick you know he’s never going to give up. That’s great in many ways, but it can also get you into trouble because you never back off. You have to be careful, but you have to win.”

Wayne won three consecutive 500cc World Championships between 1990 and 1992.

Despite not being able to ride since the crash, Wayne has remained a strong supporter of motorcycle racing and is President of the US-based MotoAmerica series.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Suzuka 8 Hour Winners List | Results | Roll of Honour

Suzuka 8 Hour Results

Suzuka 8 Hours History

While the 5.821km Suzuka circuit itself was opened in the September of 1962, the Suzuka 8 Hour first came about in 1978.

It quickly became the most important race for production based bikes in the world.

American duo Wes Cooley and Mike Baldwin won that inaugural duel on July 30, 1978, on a Yoshimura backed GS1000 Suzuki.

Australia planted its flag at Suzuka in 1979 when a Team Honda Australia squad consisting of Tony Hatton and Mick Cole rode a CB900 to victory.

New Zealand took their first top step on the rostrum the following year when Kiwi Graeme Crosby partnered with American Wes Cooley to win the race on a Yoshimura GS1000 Suzuki.

While the race was a Japanese affair largely contested between Nippon manufacturers, it was not untiul 1982 that Japanese riders themselves tasted the champagne. That year the race was reduced to six hours due to an incoming typhoon and standing atop the podium were Shigeo Iijima and Shinji Hagiwara.

Honda RVF Suzuka Hours
1985 Suzuka 8 Hour winning RVF750

Wayne Gardner won the first of his quartet of Suzuka 8 Hour victories in 1985 while sharing the riding duties on the RVF750 Honda with Masaki Tokuno.  Gardner went on to win again the next year, 1986, while partnered with Dominique Sarron.

1987 was the first time Yamaha took top honours and it came thanks to the talents of Kevin Magee, who became the fourth Australian to win a Suzuka 8 Hour. Magee won in partnership with German Martin Wimmer in 1987, the following year, 1988, the Horsham Hurricane’s victory was taken in conjunction with a then 28-year-old Wayne Rainey. The American also won his first 500cc GP race victory that year.

Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan won in 1991 on an RVF750 Honda.

Daryl Beattie then shared the victory podium with Gardner in 1992 on the Oki Honda Racing Team RVF750.

New Zealand’s Aaron Slight then won three on the trot with a different partner each time. The first victory in 1993 coming on a Kawasaki with Scott Russell, followed by two wins on the RC45, the first with Doug Polen and the second with Tadayuki Okada.

1993 also signalled the change from F1 or TT style motorcycles as the premier category at the Suzuka 8 Hour to ‘Superbikes’.

Colin Edwards and Noriyuki Haga put Yamaha back on top in 1996 before Honda then went on a ten-year winning streak that stretched all the way from 1997 through to 2006.

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Valentino Rossi and Colin Edwards won the 2001 Suzuka 8 Hour

The first three of that decade long Honda winning streak were won on RC45s, the next four on VTR-SP twins, including Valentino Rossi’s 2001 victory with Colin Edwards on the Cabin Honda VTR-SP1, while the Fireblade took top honours in 2004/05/06.

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2006 – Suzuka 8 Hour – Takeshi Tsujimura

Yukio Kagayama and Kousuke Akiyoshi broke Suzuki’s 24-year drought in 2007.

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Yukio Kagayama – 2007 Suzuka 8 Hour

Carlos Checa and Ryuichi Kiyonari put the Fireblade back on top in 2008.

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Carlos Checa and Ryuichi Kiyonari – Suzuka 8 Hour – 2008

2009 saw the introduction of three-rider teams and another all-Japanese victory for Yoshimura Suzuki.

2012 Suzuka 8 Hour
2012 Suzuka 8 Hour winners Kousuke Akiyoshi, Tadayuki Okada and Jonathan Rea

2010 saw Honda’s Fireblade kicked off another winning streak that carried right through to 2014.

2013 Suzuka 8 Hour
2013 Suzuka 8 Hour winners Takumi Takahashi, Michael Van der Mark and Leon Haslam

Winners for Honda in this period included Leon Haslam, Takumi Takahashi, Jonathan Rea, Takaaki Nakagami, Tadayuki Okada and Michael Van der Mark.

2015 marked a new era of domination by the Yamaha Factory Racing Team and the YZF-R1M.

Katsuyuki Nakasuga
Katsuyuki Nakasuga – Suzuka 8 Hour – 2015

Japanese hotshot Katsuyuki Nakasuga has been part of all those victories while Pol Espargaro (2015/16) helped him to two, as did Alex Lowes (2016/17), while Bradley Smith (2015) and Michael Van der Mark (2017) played their parts in Yamaha’s recent string of success also.

Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Pol Espargaro
Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Pol Espargaro – 2015 Suzuka 8 Hour

In 2018, Nakasuga again partnered with Alex Lowes and Michael Van der Mark and the trio went on to claim Yamaha’s fourth successive victory.

Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes and Michael Van der Mark
Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes and Michael Van der Mark victorious at the 2017 Suzuka 8 Hour

Suzuka 8 Hour Most Successful Riders

Only five riders have taken four victories at the prestigious race. Wayne Gardner (1985-1986-1991-1992), Ryuichi Kiyonari (2005-2008-2010-2011), Shinichi Itoh (1997-1998-2006-2011), Katsuyuki Nakasuga (2015-2016-2017-2018), Michael Van der Mark (2013-2014-2017-2018).

The most successful rider at the Suzuka 8 Hour is Tohru Ukawa. The Japanese rider has five victories to his name (1997-1998-2000-2004-2005). All five were won on Honda machinery, two on the RC45, one on the VTR1000 and two more on Fireblades.

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2004 Suzuka 8 Hour – Tohru Ukawa

Suzuka 8 Hour Most Successful Manufacturers

Honda are the leading manufacturer with 27 wins. Next best is Yamaha with eight victories while Suzuki have five wins.

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Ryuichi Kiyonari – 2008 Suzuka 8 Hour

Kawasaki has only ever won the prestigious event once and that was some 25 years ago when Aaron Slight and Scott Russell piloted a ZXR750R to victory.


Suzuka 8 Hour Results

Roll of Honour


Source: MCNews.com.au