Jack Doohan was born on January 20th, 2003, to parents Mick and Selina in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Doohan’s eventual career in motorsports comes as no surprise, as his father is a MotoGP champion himself. Mick Doohan retired from motorcycle racing completely four years before his son was born. Both of Doohan’s parents have since spent their time supporting Jack’s career as a race car driver, which culminated with a spot on the F1 grid.
Mick Doohan made his MotoGP debut in 1989 and rode in the motorcycle championship for 11 seasons. During that time, he scored 54 victories, 58 poles, and 95 podium finishes. This came out of the 137 races he participated in. Having stayed with the Honda team for the entirety of his career, Doohan became a championship contender early on.
In his second season, he finished in third place in the standings. After a string of runner-up finishes in the championship over the next few seasons, he would secure his first championship title in 1994. Subsequently, Mick went on to win 5 consecutive MotoGP titles from 1994-1999.
However, in 1999, it all ended as Doohan suffered an accident in Jerez that broke his leg. The injury eventually forced him to retire from MotoGP.
During this time, Mick was in a relationship with Selina Siles. The couple had their first child in 1999, Jack Doohan’s sister, Allexis. The couple tied the knot in March 2006, after dating for 11 years. Currently, the F1 driver’s mother sells apparel items from her personal collection on Depop, a social e-commerce company specializing in fashion items.
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Jack Doohan talks about his father and Michael Schumacher being
In one of his interviews for the Formula 3 website, Jack Doohan was asked about his racing heroes. While one of them was a successful F1 driver, Michael Schumacher, the other was his dad. Doohan shared how he has always admired his father for getting into a motorsports career coming from nothing. The 22-year-old driver spoke about his father’s work ethic, coming from a background that had him struggle for what he had.
“My father, as well, because of how much he achieved, knowing he came from nothing. He has given me the opportunity to be able to do this and I’ve been very fortunate to have been brought into this life. My dad didn’t have that luxury, so his dedication and work ethic were above and beyond and I hugely look up to that.”
Jack Doohan’s other racing hero, Michael Schumacher, was his father’s close friend. Interestingly, the two motorsport legends were once neighbors in Monaco. Moreover, the seven-time F1 champ was also responsible for getting Jack into racing.
“Michael used to visit us in Australia occasionally and stay with us because my dad and him were friends. They lived next door to each other in Monaco at one point.”
“Michael gave me and my sister our first go-kart when we were three. Given everything he has accomplished and his whole mentality, he is someone whom I look up to massively.” [Quotes via PlanetF1]
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Jack Doohan is currently without a seat in F1. His spot on the Alpine driver line-up is currently being filled by Franco Colapinto.
