Moto GP: Australian motorcycle racing legend Mick Doohan opens up, 25 years after classic Phillip Island win

It has been 25 years since Mick Doohan sealed his fifth title at Phillip Island. The MotoGP icon chats to IAN ROYALL about Marc Marquez, this year’s race, and son Jack’s F1 ambitions.

Motorcycle great Mick Doohan, five-time world 500cc champion will host An Evening with Mick Doohan at Crown on October 18. His guests will be Casey Stoner and Jack Miller.

Mick Doohan’s fifth and final title was famously secured with victory at Phillip Island in 1998.

In an exclusive interview to mark the 25th anniversary, Doohan has opened up about why Marc Marquez was right to leave Honda, his hopes for a Jack Miller fairytale, and why his son, Jack, is smart to be on four wheels.

MARC MARQUEZ’S FUTURE

Doohan says he understands the decision by six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez to walk away from Honda after 11 years.

The 30-year-old Spaniard announced he and the Repsol Honda factory team would end their partnership at the end of the season.

The decision confirmed months of speculation over the future of Marquez, 30, who is set to find another team to seek another world title.

But it’s a move that Doohan, also a multiple world champion with Honda, can relate to.

“It’s just unfortunate that Honda haven’t been able to get on top of their problems recently,’’ Australian motorcycle racing legend said.

“But as a rider, I can understand why it wants to sort of jump ship and go over to Ducati.

“He wants to be on probably the best bike around at the moment and then try and claim another title before age gets away from him.

“I would have thought take KTM would have been a better prospect for him. But again, there’s just no rides, no seats there. So Ducati is really the only other option for him.’’

HONDA’S FALL FROM GRACE

Doohan said it was disappointing to see the one-time all-conquering Honda factory team lose its competitive edge in MotoGP.

Honda won 18 world titles between 1994 (Doohan’s first championship) and 2019 but have failed to be at the front of the pack, not helped by Marc Marquez’s persistent injury problems since 2020.

“It’s disappointing, considering all my championships were on a Honda.

“Honda are struggling and I can’t say with any certainty but during the pandemic, Asia and Australia was very similar. Japan was shut down but Europe was still operating essentially.

“So it gave the European manufacturers – Ducati, Aprilia, KTM – a good leg up to get on top of some of the engineering issues maybe they were struggling with.

“And especially the aero package … but I think they gained the upper hand there during the pandemic and the Japanese were sticking to the rule book and weren’t developing and taking advantage of the some of the downtime.

“So playing catch up now it’s pretty difficult. To say that they’re not going to come back is a pretty big call, because Honda are pretty resourceful so the capabilities for them to get back on top is pretty, pretty strong.’’

JACK MILLER

Doohan has been a long-time admirer of Aussie Jack Miller’s talent and the KTM rider found some form last weekend in Japan after a barren spell.

And Doohan hopes the Queenslander can finally win at his Phillip Island home track in the MotoGP class. Miller has won at the island, but in Moto3 in 2014.

The 28-year-old deserves to be an Australian winner, also along with Wayne Gardner, and Casey Stoner, Doohan said.

“The only one we’re missing there, it’d be a fairytale if Jack Miller can bring it home this year.

“He’s in amongst it, so let’s wait and see.’’

Jack Miller and Mick Doohan at the naming of Miller Corner at Phillip Island in 2022.

Miller will have bittersweet memories of last year. Turn 4 was named in his honour but in the race his factory Ducati was taken out by Alex Marquez … at the newly named Miller Corner.

ANYONE CAN WIN AT THE ISLAND

Doohan said the state of the championship and the island track’s variable elements made this year’s race an open field.

Defending champion Pecco Bagnaia has seen his large lead in the standings trimmed to just three points by the in-form Jorge Martin with the Indonesia round next weekend before the Australian Grand Prix on October 20-22.

“It’s absolutely wide open,’’ Doohan said.

“Martin and Bagnaia, both on Ducatis but different teams, are very close and the championship won’t be decided by Phillip Island.

“Phillip Island generally brings in some of the other manufacturers (Suzuki won last year) and you might see somebody like Marc Marquez on the Honda or even Quartararo on the Yamaha being able to mix it up a little bit.

“And if the weather isn’t that kind, there’s another twist to it.’’

The island’s unique layout also plays a role, he said.

“It’s a fairly fast-flowing circuit. Outright top speed is not everything.

“The new aero packages are making it a little bit more difficult for some of the guys to maximise their own riding potential over the bike’s potential but we’re in for some good racing this year anyway.’’

AN EVENING WITH MICK

He retired in 1999 and swapped fast bikes for fast planes, becoming a high flyer in the business jet industry.

But Doohan will return to his motorcycle roots to host a one-off Evening with Mick Doohan at Crown Melbourne on October 18, a few days before the Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island.

Doohan, 58, will be joined on stage for a Q&A with Casey Stoner and Jack “Thriller” Miller.

“I’ve known both of them for a while. Casey’s a little more reserved in some ways than Jack is. And then you have an old-timer like myself. It should be fun’’

SON JACK IN F2

Doohan is proud of son Jack’s progression through the motorsport ranks, to this year being competitive in Formula Two (he’s fourth in the championship) and also a reserve driver for the Formula One Alpine team.

With just 20 spots on the F1 grid, Doohan Sn knows drives are hard to come by.

“He’s working really hard but unfortunately there’s just not many seats available on the on the merry-go-round.’’

Mick Doohan with son Jack, who races in the Formula 2 championship.

Doohan also joked that Jack had been too smart to take up racing motorcycles.

“Thankfully he picked up on that early on when he decided to go go-karting. It was rugby union, surfing and go-karting.

“For a 20-year-old kid, he’s doing well and very proud of the boy.’’

Originally published as Moto GP: Australian motorcycle racing legend Mick Doohan opens up, 25 years after classic Phillip Island win