All set to become the newest Alpine driver, Jack Doohan comes from a family of racing royalty. His father, Mick Doohan, is a five-time MotoGP world champion in the 500cc category. But Doohan Jr. went down a different path. Appearing as a guest on ‘The Fast and The Curious’ Podcast, the Australian driver detailed why he didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps.
Revealing that he was too tall to ride in MotoGP, Doohan claimed he was also not flexible enough to fit end-to-end on a MotoGP bike.
“I’m 184 centimeters. I’m way too tall. I still need to work on my flexibility.”
With the MotoGP rider stance being extremely aggressive, a tall body structure makes it difficult for a rider to be comfortable when leaning in to make the vehicle as aerodynamically strong as possible.
Moreover, the risk of injuries runs much higher in the two-wheeled sport, which Doohan Jr. did not fancy. The 21-year-old prefers it if he suffered a lockup and missed a corner rather than sliding through one at over 195 mph. Even Doohan Sr. had no issues with his son’s decision, probably arising from the five-time champion’s experiences.
Mick Doohan had to step away from MotoGP owing to injuries
Picking up injuries in his career regularly, Mick Doohan was never fully fit starting from 1993. However, he still went on to win the championship from 1994 to 1998 before calling it quits. The reason behind the retirement was an injury he picked up in an accident in Jerez in 1999, which ended up fracturing his leg.
But success did not give up Doohan’s side. The now 59-year-old is the President of a company called JetCraft, which specializes in the sale of corporate jets.
Having become the go-to destination for the sale and purchase of private jets, the Australian company projected a sales revenue of over $74 billion in five years (2023-2028). Thus, Doohan continues to be immensely successful in life despite being away from the sporting world for decades.
