p4p1

For all the other Aussies on here it was on the other week but is still on the ABC app. I didn't know if I would enjoy it or not because I have never really liked the guy but after watching it, I went away with a better understanding of him, *perhaps sadly,* saw a lot of similarities in our personalities. It was a good watch and he has grown on me a bit.

For guys not in in the land of Oz it's just called Wayne and it's probably out there on the net somewhere.

michaelm

Liked him when he raced, he was absolutely balls to the wall as has been recently said, thought he was a wanker in his early retirement, warming to him again now he is invested in Remy’s career rather than it being all about him.

I will have to watch the documentary. I heard an interview involving both him and his ex-wife Donna when it first came out in which he was self deprecating and as opposed to his previous wont not taking himself very seriously at all.

p4p1

I never saw him racing so I've only seen him in his retirement and he's often come off as a wanker. I guess these interviews and shows do give you an insight and helps you gain an understanding about them.

warthog1

I watched him win his championship when I was a teenager, loved it.
Then saw steady Eddie beat him on the same bike.
Then along came Mick, who didn't appear to have much time or respect for him and was way better.
He was good but others were better and importantly could develop the bike better it appeared to me.

p4p1

The doco does explain the next season. Doohan like Rossi after him benefited off of JB's experience with Honda, experience gained at Gardners expense. The 88 bike was a complete redesign and was far from perfect. I don't think Gardner was as good as those other guys but I don't think he deserves the blame of an unrideable Honda when Honda have had so many riders that experienced the same thing.

warthog1

Yeah I don't blame him but I don't think he was capable of providing as good feedback and direction as some others.

michaelm

As I recall it was Steady Eddie and Erv Kanamoto who considerably sorted the bike, with Doohan benefiting from Eddie's input to at least some extent, including perhaps apocryphal stories of early career Mick asking Eddie how he managed to ride the thing.

Nevertheless the bike Gardner rode to a world title was absolutely brutal which he rode with near total disregard for same, and he didn't design that bike as you say. Someone posted footage a few years ago of Gardner saving a prolonged tank slapper on a factory Honda, I am not sure if from the championship year, subsequent to which Wayne proceeded straight on undeterred as though nothing had happened.

For me it was also the Gardner vs Doohan thing which put me off Wayne, but more Wayne's attitude to Doohan rather than the other way round. I guess it was hard having won a premier class world title, unprecedented for an Australian obviously, to be closely followed by another Australian winning 5 such titles to come into consideration as the best rider ever rather than 'just' the best rider in 1987.

Lately he seems to have mellowed considerably and takes himself far less seriously, with his focus mainly on Remy's career, concerning which he will hopefully have further reason for excitement going forward, rather than how good he was back in the day.

warthog1

This is the first time I saw Gardner race. Not live but watched it in 85 when it was aired.
Those slides through the fast right hander after the main straight
He crashed in race 2 but faark it was good!!
Swann series '85




Crash at the end of this one

warthog1

I watched that season avidly.
I don't remember the NSR of that year being brutal.
Well, they were all hard to ride but it was better than the previous years.
It was powerful yes but relatively well sorted by then;

Wayne had seven victories and scored points in every round on his way to the ’87 title.
https://www.mcnews.com.au/1987-honda...wayne-gardner/

michaelm

Sure, he rode great in 1987 in everyone’s memory, and if the bike was difficult all the more credit to him. I was a big fan at the time, and the start of live broadcasts of 500 gp bike racing in Australia which iirc was in 1986 was what converted a hitherto F1 car racing and Australian tin top racing fan as I was into a bike racing fan. I regret missing Fast Freddie in his pomp btw, it was hard to see what the fuss was about by the time broadcasting of the series began in Australia.

Lots of dnfs subsequently though, the bike was still sufficiently vicious to bite the all time great Mick Doohan 5 years later, and Mick reputedly did find the bike challenging when he joined the premier class as well.