Mick Doohan honoured: From a family hobby to the MotoGP Hall of Fame

Five world championship titles, 54 victories and a career full of challenges: Mick Doohan received his MotoGP Hall of Fame medal at Phillip Island. The Australian responded with gratitude and humour.

Sebastian Fränzschky

MotoGP

24.10.2026 - 18:18

This article is an automatically generated English version. The Original Article was published in German.

Mick Doohan erhielt auf Phillip Island seine Hall-of-Fame-Medaille
© MotoGP

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Mick Doohan

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For Mick Doohan, the MotoGP weekend at Phillip Island marked the completion of a special journey. In front of his home crowd, the five-time world champion was officially presented with his MotoGP Hall of Fame medal. Carlos Ezpeleta, deputy CEO of the MotoGP Group, paid tribute to a rider whose significance to the sport extends far beyond his successes on the legendary Honda NSR500.

The figures paint a picture of an extraordinary career: from 1994 up to and including 1998, Doohan won five consecutive titles in what was then the 500cc premier class. In total, he celebrated 54 victories and 95 podium finishes. He finished on the podium in nearly 70 per cent of his races.

For Ezpeleta, it had therefore long been clear that Doohan deserved his place amongst the greats. “Mick was already a member of the Hall of Fame before the Hall of Fame was established last year. His sporting statistics speak for themselves. I grew up watching Mick dominate the sport more and more,” he explained.

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Mick Doohan

But the tribute was also explicitly directed at the man off the track. “Mick was incredible on the track. But I’d also like to emphasise just how much he has done for our sport off the track. He is a true ambassador and champion – not just of the MotoGP brand, but of motorcycling as a whole,” emphasised Ezpeleta.

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For the Australian riders who followed in his footsteps to the World Championship, Doohan was an important role model. “They owe him a great deal, and we, too, owe Mick a great deal. I’m sure he could have won many more championships had he had the chance,” said the deputy CEO.

The rocky road to five consecutive World Championship titles

Doohan’s story, however, is not one of dominance alone. In 1992, he seemed well on his way to his first title when a serious crash during practice at Assen threatened his career. A long period of suffering followed, along with a gruelling road to recovery. It was not until 1994 that he began the run of five world championships with which he defined an entire era. Another serious crash at Jerez in 1999 ultimately brought his career to an end.

Nevertheless, Doohan did not focus on thoughts of successes he might have missed out on during the tribute. “This sport has given me so much over the years, but it’s also challenging. Of course, there are the ‘what ifs’. But that’s exactly what racing is all about. You have to deal with the ups and downs and overcome them,” explained the Australian.

Ikonisch: Mick Doohan auf der Honda NSR500
© Gold & Goose

He did not regard his successes as his achievement alone. “I was lucky enough to be part of it in the 1990s. There were difficult times, but I had a great team around me. Working with your father and the Dorna team at the time was also incredible,” said Doohan, addressing Carlos Ezpeleta.

The former champion took the fact that he was now the centre of attention at such a ceremony with visible gratitude and a twinkle in his eye. “I’ve always wanted a medal I could show off,” he joked. “I feel honoured and privileged, and I’m grateful to you all for inducting me into the Hall of Fame.”

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