Doohan Crashes, But Earns Pole Position
The Age
Sunday September 12, 1993
Los Angeles, Sunday Australian motorcycle star Michael Doohan won pole position for the 15th time in his 500cc world championship career despite crashing at the treacherous Laguna Seca circuit in Monterey yesterday.
Doohan escaped injury when he crashed his Rothmans Honda at the ``Corkscrew" downhill chicane in the second and final qualifying session for today's United States Grand Prix.
The 28-year-old Queenslander finished fastest in qualifying for the 13th round of this year's championship with a best lap time of one minute 26.417seconds around the 3.5-kilometre California circuit.
``Coming off at the Corkscrew was certainly not part of the plan, but fortunately there is no damage done," he said.
Doohan, who was third in this year's championship after 12 rounds, recorded his fastest lap before he crashed.
American John Kocinski qualified second on a Cagiva, 0.146seconds behind Doohan, followed by Lucky Strike Suzuki teammates Alex Barros of Brazil and new world champion Kevin Schwantz of the US.
Of the other Australians, Doohan's teammate Daryl Beattie qualified sixth with 1.27.172, and Mat Mladin was 18th with 1.29.670 on a Cagiva.
Doohan, who was also fastest in yesterday's opening qualifying session, said his crash was caused by a gearing problem. ``It jumped out of gear and into neutral," he said.
``Before I could grab the clutch it dropped into first gear, locked the back wheels and I went over the handlebars. ``The bike started chasing me and that was a bit of a worry, but it didn't hit me.
Doohan finished second in the Laguna Seca Grand Prix in 1990 and again the following year behind American Marlboro Yamaha rider Wayne Rainey, who will miss today's race because of spinal injuries.
American dual world champion Freddie Spencer also crashed in yesterday's qualifying session and is almost certain to miss the race after breaking a wrist.
Beattie, who is in his first full year of grand prix racing, said he was satisfied with his form in qualifying. His best lap was just 0.755seconds slower than Doohan.
Schwantz has already clinched the world championship, regardless of results at Laguna Seca and in the final round of the series at Jarama in Spain on 26September. He goes into today's race with a series tally of 219 points, followed by Rainey on 214, Doohan on 156 and Beattie on 145.
Britain's Damon Hill completed a hat-trick of formula one victories today when he won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, after teammate Alain Prost's engine blew up five laps from the finish.
Hill's win keeps alive his slim hopes of winning the world drivers' championship. He lies second with 58 points to Prost's 81.
© 1993 The Age
