Australia is a great nation. By size, certainly, but also by stature. Initially influenced by the other major Commonwealth countries, the culture evolved over the years to adopt new standards. Thus, certain sports are endemic to the country-continent. This is not the case with the motorcycle.
Car racing, then motorcycling, has always punctuated the lives of young Australians. MotoGP, like Formula 1, does not escape its share of “aussies”, who have always been present. Let's look back together at the ten greatest Australian riders in motorcycle Grand Prix.
The link to the first part, which explains the rules as well as the selection criteria, is
found right here.
This episode follows the
fifth part, published yesterday.
No. 2: Casey Stoner
How could it be otherwise? The child from Southport, double MotoGP world champion, is in second place in this ranking.
A talent of fire in a body of ice. This is how Casey Stoner could be summed up. With a triumphant dirt track past, Casey must wait to arrive in MotoGP for 2006 before exploding into the eyes of the world.
No matter the mount...
At Ducati in 2007, he is like a fish in water. He won the first title in the history of the brand and the first non-Japanese title since 1974. The one that seemed indomitable found a master in the person of the Australian.
In an almost poetic style, Stoner brightened up our Sunday afternoons for seven years. Indeed, after his second title acquired at Honda Repsol in 2011, the latter decided to retire at the end of 2012. We will know later the ins and outs of this unexpected decision.
Chronic fatigue, weariness of the media world... Stoner would have loved the 80s and 90s. Phillip Island is his home. Six victories, six poles in seven appearances on the fabulous coastal track. All this – not to mention the jousting with
Pedrosa, Red and of course
Lorenzo – raises him to second place in this current ranking.
No. 1: Mick Doohan
No. 1, as usual. Photo: Box Repsol
Yes, Mick Doohan is the greatest Australian driver of all time. The hierarchy, if Casey had not retired, might be different but the facts are there. Five championships in a row. Seasons with an average of more than 22 points and no longer knowing what to do with them. Records that would only be beaten by another UFO, this time Spanish, twenty years later.
Doohan, like Stoner and all the other heroes of this story, had talent on his side. “Aussies” have this little je ne sais quoi, a sort of magical power that makes them spectacular and magnificent. Learning dirt track on speedway, ideal for mastering sliding, is no stranger to this.
Mick doohan (with Honda Repsol, of course) changed the sport. There was a “before” and an “after”. As a reminder, that's 54 victories, 58 pole positions (including 10 in a row in 1997), five 500cc titles and two vice-champion titles.
He didn't have the charisma of a Schwantz or
rainy, but the heart, yes. In 1992, he almost lost his leg in a terrible accident at Assen. Escaped from the hospital by Dr. Costa, he escaped miraculously and managed to ride in the championship afterwards. A story worthy of big-budget Hollywood films.
Mick Doohan is one of the greatest of all time, not only by record but also by history. It is for this reason that today it is, as it often has been, ranked #1.
Injuries, commitment and spectacle are surely the common denominators of this top 10. The Australians have a huge heart and a natural speed to make other nations jealous. However, many of these top 10 were reserved, calm and sometimes even shy once the helmet was put away in the box. A country apart that hasn't finished turning us upside down, that's for sure.
Cover photo: Ahmad Rithauddin
