Put Colin Edwards on my bikes! by Mick Doohan Life's not so bad over here - there's a few people I know around the San Francisco area, plus a few of Randy Mamola's buddies, and I've been watching the races on TV. It's a bit odd doing that, but I'm beat up so I don't find it frustrating, because I know I can't be out there. I'm still in a wheelchair and that's not the best equipment for a 500 race! I hope to get on crutches pretty soon, but the doctors want to see some more bone growth on the broken arm before they put me on crutches. Life can be a bit boring and it would be good to start doing some normal stuff, but I want to get back racing as soon as I can and I know if I do too much with the leg it could screw up my progress. We did get out of the place for one night last week - we spent a night with Wayne and Shae Rainey at their place just down the road from the Laguna Seca racetrack and that was good. It's just over three weeks since the operation and the doctors are well astounded at how much movement I've got in my leg - I'm already up to pretty much 90 per cent movement at the knee. I'm not working with a physio, I'm just doing my own stuff and I'm pretty happy with the way things are going. This week I'm getting into a pool to do some aqua jogging - it's ideal because the leg won't be able to take any weight for a while. It's the same kind of exercise I did after they fixed up my leg over here in '93. My blood count has been low - from bleeding from the crash and the operation - and the hospital people didn't want to pump blood into me, so they've been pumping me full of iron instead. You fall into a hole pretty quick If your blood count gets too low, but now it's pretty much back to 100 per cent. The pain factor has plateau'd out too - it's only when I'm trying to get to sleep that I feel it. Alex is doing the business at the races - good for him and the team. But it was a shame Kenny didn't pull back a bit in France. It looked like his bike wasn't working as well as Alex's there, so he should've just got second. If he'd done that he would've left France 20 points down now, not 40, and that's a lot of points to catch up. He's got to decide whether he wants to win the world championship or just win races. Then again, here's me in hospital saying that... Kenny's got a lot of work to do but the Suzuki is working well. This may be his first season on the bike but I think they should be okay at most tracks - they've obviously got a good base setting for the bike and that's the important thing. Biaggi's bike looked pretty loose in France - it was squatting and rebounding, it looked untidy. I've no problem with Sete getting a go on my bikes, it's good for him to get a run on them, but it would've been good to put Colin Edwards on them. I'd prefer that - he went pretty good on the 500 when he tested it at Phillip Island before the start of the season and though Sete's riding good too, I think we should bring some new blood into Grand Prix. The plan is still to be back for Brno and I'm hoping to get over and see everyone at Assen and Donington, then I'll head back here for some more rehab. -- Mick Doohan ###

Five time world champion Mick Doohan writes an exclusive internet column for amasuperbike.com which is funded in part by the parts and accesories department at american honda.