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Legends of Moto GPPrint Page Print this page

03-May-2016
03-May-2016

Photographs supplied by Sandra Brown
Portrait busts commemorate Australian Grand Prix and World Champions, Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan and Casey Stoner for their contribution to international world motorsport and for bringing the sport to Phillip Island. The busts were unveiled at the Tissot Grand Prix on Phillip Island in 2014 and moved to their permanent home at the Phillip Island Visitor Centre in February 2015. 

Three of Australia’s greatest ever Grand Prix motorcycle racing stars will now be permanently associated with the island which was the backdrop for some of their finest performances.

Former premier class World Champions Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan and Casey Stoner all won the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island and the achievements of all three riders have been commemorated in bronze sculptures by Melbourne artist Barbara McLean.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation commissioned McLean to create a bust of each of the three Australian motorcycle racing legends and the sculptures were unveiled on Friday at the track with each of the famous trio in attendance.

Gardner, World Champion in 1987, was the first rider to win the Australian Grand Prix when the World Championship first came to Phillip Island in April 1989. Indeed 18 months later the Honda rider repeated the feat when Phillip Island staged the final round of the 1990 season. These two of his 18 Grand Prix victories still burn brightly in Gardner’s personal memory.

Between 1994 and 1998 Doohan and his Honda dominated the 500cc World Championship, taking five successive titles and amassing 54 Grand Prix victories. Doohan won the Australian Grand Prix in 1998, the year after it returned to the Island.

MotoGP World Champion in 2007 and 2011, Stoner amassed 38 victories in the premier class for Ducati and Honda. Six of those came in successive years at Phillip Island from 2007 to 2012. In five of those years he also started from pole position - three times he added fastest race lap.

Gardner, Doohan and Stoner are all already MotoGP Legends with Stoner having been inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.
motogp.com, 17 October-2014. 

Location

Address:895 Phillip Island Road, Phillip Island Visitor Information Centre , Newhaven , 3925
State:VIC
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -38.514822
Long: 145.348125
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Sculpture
Monument Theme:Culture
Sub-Theme:Sport
Artist:Barbara McLean

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Friday 17th October, 2014
Left Side Inscription
Bust :
Wayne Gardner AM
MotoGP World Champion
(500cc)
1987

Bust : 
Mick Doohan AM
MotoGP World Champion
(500cc) 
1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998

Bust : 
Casey Stoner AM
MotoGP World Champion
(500cc) 
2007, 2011
Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au