In 1992 the Assen incident and the risk of amputation, then the rebirth, the result of grit, tenaciousness and Doctor Costa. The story of the five-time champion who won… with only one leg
18.03.2021 ( Aggiornata il 18.03.2021 18:13 )
Winning always has a sweet flavour but winning after having reaching the depths of hell has an even greater taste, thanks to that sense of vengeance that makes everything better. On hearing these words, riders may picture a number of riders, not least Michael “Mick” Doohan. The Australian, born on 4 June 1965 in Brisbane, proved how a human can win five world titles in a row after having come scarily close to never riding again. But first things first.
The rise
Doohan debuted in the 500 championship in 1989, riding a Honda (the manufacturer for which he would continue to compete throughout his career) and immediately attracting attention for his coarse yet clean riding style. He scored his first podium in his rookie season, while his first win came the following year, at the penultimate round in Hungary.
In 1991 Mick began to get a whiff of the title, but then along came another talent, American Wayne Rainey, who just pipped him to the post by nine points. The following year saw Mick come even closer, with five wins and two second-place finishes in the first seven races, but then came the Assen incident.
The crash and recovery
During qualifying, Doohan crashed and was trapped under his number two Honda. He fractured his right tibia and fibula. A real blow, and one that could even have proved fatal as, after his operation (carried out in the hours following the accident), a terrible infection attacked his leg during the night, putting the rider’s life at risk and causing the doctors to consider amputating the limb.
And it was here that a key figure in Mick Doohan’s career entered the scene: Doctor Claudio Costa. “We kidnapped Mick in the dead of night – Costa has since said – also taking Kevin Schwantz with us, he was injured too”. Costa took the Australian under his wing and came up with an original solution, or rather the idea of binding Mick’s legs together for fifteen days, so that the healthy limb could irrigate the injured one. This unconventional method paid off, and proved to be Doohan’s salvation. Two months later, the rider was back on track for the Brazilian GP, a race he finished twelfth, and the South Africa season-finale, where he finished sixth. 1993 was a transition year for Mick, in which Wayne Rainey tragically retired following the Misano accident and Kevin Schwantz took the title, although the Australian did get back on to the top step of the rostrum (at Misano).
The definitive rise to legendary status
After some very tough times, Doohan finally got what he deserved. In 1994, riding the number 4 Honda, the Australian essentially had no rivals, winning nine of the fourteen scheduled races and becoming world champion for the first time, exactly two years after his return to competition following the terrible Assen injury.
And from there Doohan proved unstoppable, successfully defending his title year on year. In 95 he beat fellow countryman Daryl Beattie, while in 96 and 97 he was up against team-mates Alex Criville and Tadayuki Okada.
The last rider who was forced to bow to King Mick was Max Biaggi, during a 1998 that was characterised by the much discussed black flag that the Italian received at the Barcelona GP. Doohan’s career would come to an end the following year, when bad luck came knocking once again. Mick was ruled out when he fractured his wrist, shoulder and particularly his right leg, the same leg that, in one way or another, had helped him to become a legend.
Translated by Heather Watson
MotoGP, Dovizioso like Lawson: tempted by a beautiful Italian
Link copiato
Commenti
