Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Five-time World Champion Mick Doohan By Paul Carruthers MENLO PARK, CA, MAY 20 ~ I I a :ii o . §! .... N § .., 20 ive-time 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan was released today from The Recovery Inn, an aftercare center in Northern California, just six days after surgery to repair a broken right leg, left forearm and left shoulder. He checked out with a bit more metal than he'd checked in with - 18 more screws and three more plates - but in a little less hurry than in his two previous visits in 1992 and 1993. Although he is certain to charge into his rehabilitation with his normal abandon, Doohan isn't in a big rush to get back to the rigors of 500cc Grand Prix racing. This time he'll take his time - at least that's what he said just two weeks after his horrific crash in 1erez, Spain. Initially, it was reported that Doohan would be back on track in two months. Hogwash, according to the 33-year-old Australian. "I haven't said two months whatsoever," said Doohan, who had granted interview time only to Cycle News and three Australian television networks. "The only thing I've mentioned is that maybe I might come back for the Czecho Grand Prix, which is at the end of August - that's still quite a few months away; it's definitely not two months away. At the moment, I'm in no rush. There was once upon a time when I was in a rush, but at this point and time in my career, I only really do it for fun. And being in this condition at the moment isn't a lot of fun. What I want to do is get'myself back together, and when I fee/like I'm strong enough, then I'll go out and ride again. Until I feel that I've reached that point, then I'm in no rush. [ want to keep the spirit for the team high, and I'd like to ride again before the season's out. The team understands the condition I'm in. We went through a fairly big crash, and we're lucky to come out of it with the injuries I sustained. To put a realistic date on it, less than a week after the operation, is dreaming. We'll take it step by step at the moment and make predictions further down the track." What he does know for certain is that this year's championship is gone. After an incredible five straight seasons of being the 500cc World Champion, Doohan won't carry that title in 2000. But even that doesn't seem fo bother him all that much. "J realized that the first year that [ won the championship - that I was going to lose it one day," Doohan said. "So that's not really a problem. When you're at the top of any sport, there's really only one way to go, and I realized that a long time ago. That was the furthest thing from my mind when I crashed. It was just like, 'Okay, I've got some bad injuries: and it wasn't just in one spot, it wasn't in three spots, it was all over my body. Then it was just, 'Okay, I've got to go and get some work done on myself. Let's go and do it:" As always, Doohan's first thought was to get to Northern California and back to the men he trusts the most to put him back together - Dr. Arthur Ting and Dr. Kevin Louie. A frightful first night in a Spa nish hospital only further hastened his departure for California. "That's one thing we really need to do with our sport - pick up the medical side of it:' Doohan said. "Dr. (Claudio) Costa (the GP medic) came with me to the hospital in Seville, but it was only because I told them to let him in that they finally let him in to where they were looking at me and X-raying me. He doesn't speak much English, so he actu- .ally brought another doctor along to spend the night with me, but they wouldn't let him spend the night. It was pretty frightening. I was in a splint, and they put it on so tight that I couldn't feel my toes. It wasn't until 5 o'clock in the morning that [ convinced them that I couldn't feel my toes and they actually loosened it off. I knew I had to get out of there:' The cause of Doohan's crash has been the topic of much debate. He knows he made a mistake, hit a slippery white line and crashed. He also retains the confidence that he was doing exactly what he gets paid to do - go fast - when it happened. That said, he is quite disappointed in some of the criticism that has been directed at him. Why was he going so fast on a Friday? Why was he taking a risk in iffy conditions? Ooohan, who shouldn't really have to defend himself, did exactly that wheu describing the things that led up to the accident. "I read an interview that said it was an amateurish mistake:' Doohan said. '1 was like, 'Really?' What are we out there to do, just mosey around?' It had been raining, and it was getting dark again. Okay, the forecast was supposed to be for good weather, but we've had forecasts for good weather and had terrible weather. There was a window of opporturuty, and the race track was dry. There was talk about the other guys that J was a lot quicker than - but the guy I was a lot quicker than at the time, he normally finishes 22nd. That was the guy who was on pole posi tion at tha t particular time, so let's put it into perspective. It's disheartening to read that tuff, and it's a shame we have people who are always trying to look for the negative. I read that I've only raced against Alex Criville in the last five years, so what happened to Kevin (Schwantz)? That puts Kevin to shame and all the other people - the Biaggis, the Okadas. Actually, Alex Criville was only for one season. It's disappointing. "Anyway, we sat in the pit for 25 minutes and a few guys were rolling around:' Doohan coutinued. "The track looked dry, so we put some·slicks in there. We went out, and it was fine. There were dark clouds coming in, so we decided to go out and get on the grid. I went out and just caught a white line on -the first flying lap. It was like, 'Wow, how slick is that?' So it was, 'Okay, we'll stay away from those.' I'd been speaking to Randy (Mamolar between the sessions and had actually mentioned how slick the white lines were in the dry." At this point, one of Doohan's Repsol Honda mechanics, Dick Smart, interceded. "Alex (Criville) carne into the pit, and he'd gone out on intermediates:' Smart said. '1 went and looked at his tire, and it was shredded: We made the right choice to go on slicks:' Doohan recalls everything leading up to the incident, but little after that. "Turn three, you come out and you short-shift from second to third, and as it builds rpm from low down, it actually starts to spin;" he said. "You pick it up and drive it to the white line, but I }"asn't planning on hitting the white line. Just before it hit the white line, it started to spin. Because J was close to the white line, it just stepped out and just went. It built rpm and I was... Normally, when you crash, it's like, 'Oh, I'm crashing: This one I was upside down aud it was like, 'I've crashed: That's all I remember. Jrutially, I was uncon cious, and I didn't even know I'd hit the fence. It wasn't until that night in hosp-ital that I watched it on Eurosport news that I could see it. 'Wow, I hit the wall with a bit of impact - that's why I'm feeling the way I am: I gained consciousness before I got to the medical center, but I couldn't comprehend anything until J got to the medical center. The first thing I remember is them asking me if I minded them cutting my leathers off. I was like, 'Go for it, I can get more: Then I could see that my leg was shooting off in the wrong direction. Dr. Costa was there, and I asked him what wa wrong. He told me my shoulder, my arm and my leg. Basically, we knew we had to get out of there and see Dr. Louie and Dr. Ting and get fixed up. n As far as pushing too hard too early, this is World Championship stuff. We are out there playing for the World Championship - it's not a two-buck trophy at a local club meeting. We were doing what we know how to do: get out there, get a better setup and go quicker than everybody else every time we're out there. It's not like we say, 'All right, we'll just roll around out therE: today: What we plan on doing every time we go out is being the quickest." Now it's time to mend. Looking far better than you'd expect for a man who has had a rather harrowing 14 days, Ooohan realizes what lies in front of him. After all, he's done it before. This rehabilita tion stuff is far from new for Ooohan. "They've done a fantastic job of

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