The Australian, five-time 500cc world champion, recounts a lesser-known side of himself: “When I was riding a 250cc it seemed to me that speed was sufficient. But fear is not a negative aspect: by controlling it, you can give your best”
Michael “Mick” Doohan he was one of the most successful riders in the 500. Five titles and 54 successes, all coming with the Hondaare a remarkable booty for one of the cover men in the MotoGP between 1994 and 1998. And to think that the Australian preferred to ride with smaller displacement bikes like the 250s. Yes, because, incredible to say, the remarkable speed of the 500 racing cars intimidated even a champion like Doohan. He revealed it during the podcast Gypsy Tales.
against the tide
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Many pilots describe their job with a passion for the adrenaline that comes from driving powerful cars at high speeds. Mick, on the other hand, has a different opinion: “Honestly, speed has never thrilled me. In fact, if there was something that scared me when I was active, it was having to go too fast”. Doohan adds: “If I have to be honest, while I was riding a 250 Sport Production and I was reaching 200, at most 210 km/h, it seemed to me that they were enough. And, when I was racing with the 500, I often didn’t want to be shown the maximum speed reached so as not to notice it at all”. A startling revelation.
advantage
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However, according to the five-time world champion, fear can become a precious ally for a rider: “I think there’s nothing wrong with being a little scared. Indeed, it is precisely by controlling this fear that one can give the best of oneself without taking excessive risks”. That is, without running into disastrous falls: “In the end, when you’re on the bike you don’t realize how fast you’re going until you end up off the track”.
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