Doohan’s record in 500cc racing was 64 starts, 10 wins, 33 rostrum appearances for top-three results, and 15 pole positions.
Immediately after Doohan finished his 1993 racing commitments he underwent surgery in San Francisco to strengthen and straighten his right leg. He remained in the United States for four months for treatment.
Doohan began the 1994 world championship with third place in the Australian Grand Prix at Eastern Creek, followed by a win in Malaysia and second in Japan. He then won six successive grand prix races, in Spain, Austria, Germany, Holland, Italy, and France, followed by a second place in Britain.
Doohan clinched the world championship title for the first time when he won the 11th round of the 1994 series, the Czech Grand Prix at Brno. His victory left him with an unbeatable lead of 87 points with three races remaining.
Doohan completed 1994 with nine wins and a top-three podium finish in all 14 rounds. He was the first rider to achieve podium results in every championship round since Italian Giacomo Agostini in 1968. After the 1994 series, Doohan's 500cc record was 78 starts, 19 wins, 47 podium finishes, and 21 pole positions.
In 1995 Doohan began his world title defence in top form by winning the opening two rounds in Australia and Malaysia, and finishing second in Japan. He then crashed his Repsol Honda in Spain and Germany, and lost the lead in the championship to fellow-Australian Daryl Beattie.
Doohan bounced back and regained the championship lead by taking the chequered flag in the following four races in Italy, Holland, France, and Great Britain. He clinched the 1995 world championship title (his second in succession) by winning the 12th round of the series, the Argentina Grand Prix in Buenos Aires. At the end of the 1995 championship.
Doohans 500cc grand prix record was 26 wins and 57 top-three podium finishes from 91 starts, and 30 pole positions.
In 1996 Doohan claimed the 500cc title for the third successive year. He won eight of the 15 rounds, including four in succession in Spain, Italy, France, and the Netherlands, and had 12 podium finishes.
Doohan clinched the championship with his victory in the European Grand Prix at Catalunya. He won the title with a tally of 309 points. After Doohan completed his eighth successive year of grand prix racing in 1996, his record was 34 wins from 106 starts, 69 podium finishes, and 38 pole positions.
Doohan established himself among the all-time greats of 500cc racing in 1997 when he won the world championship for the fourth successive year. He joined Agostini and the late Mike Hailwood of Great Britain as the only riders to win four consecutive 500cc titles.
During the year Doohan also set a new record for the most number of wins in a 500cc season since the world championship began in 1949. He won 12 grand prix races.
Doohan finished the year with an overall record of 121 starts in the 500cc world championship, with 46 wins, 83 podium finishes, and 50 pole positions as fastest qualifier.
In 1998 Doohan clinched his fifth successive 500cc world championship title by winning the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, the 13th round of the series. He won eight grand prix races during the year, which boosted his career tally of 500cc victories to 54 from 135 starts since 1989.
Doohan began the 1999 world championship by finishing fourth in the opening round in Malaysia, and second in the following race in Japan. However, he suffered a broken right leg and shoulder, and left wrist, when he crashed his Repsol Honda at 200km/h at Jerez in qualifying for round three at Jerez in Spain.
He travelled to the United States immediately after the accident for corrective surgery in San Francisco, which included inserting two plates and 12 screws in his right leg, and a plate in his left forearm. Toward the end of the year he announced his retirement because of the injuries from his crash a Jerez.
After retiring from riding, Doohan maintained an involvement in 500cc grand prix racing as General Manager of Racing for Honda Racing Corporation.
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