Feature
Featuring nods to his father and his home country, Doohan’s helmet design explained
Fresh from finishing second in Formula 3 with Trident, Jack Doohan made the step up to Formula 2 for a two-round stint with MP Motorsport at the end of last season, before signing on the dotted line to drive for Virtuosi in 2022.
We went behind the visor with the Australian, who talked us through the backstory of his helmet design, which includes nods to his country of birth and his father, five-time MotoGP World Champion, Mick Doohan.
“When I was young, a lot of karters were using a company called Lucky Design, and they had these cool, squiggly designs, and that’s what I wanted because that’s what everyone else had,” said Doohan. “My dad told me that I wouldn’t stand out and that I would look like everyone else, but I didn’t care, I just wanted one of those cool helmets that looked good up close.
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“I got a couple of helmets made to my preference, and then in the last three years of my karting career, we had what was sort of a J on the side of the helmet. Then there was the addition of Red Bull and the design got a bit more limited because of that. My first year in British F4 was when I had the junior team design, which meant that there was more than just the logo on the side. Miles Murphy of MDM Designs sent me an idea the day after I got announced and we worked out something together.
“But in the end, it kind of looked like any other Red Bull helmet. I wanted something different, and I was going through my camera roll and in there was a draft of a design of my dad’s design, with a Red Bull logo on the side, and I thought that looked really cool. We tried to modernise it a bit and ever since then, I wouldn't change it. I might change the colours a bit to mix it up, but otherwise, I don't see any reason to go away from that.
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“The base of the design is quite simple, but in certain sunlight, from afar, you can really see the blue, white and red and it stands out, even though there isn’t too much going on. I like that it isn't too crowded. The design is known from my dad's legacy, it relates to the Doohan name, and I’m very happy to carry that into my career.
“There is the Aussie flag on there too. We needed to make sure that people could see the stars, though, as otherwise, people might think I’m a Brit and that can’t happen because I’m a proper Aussie! With the Aussie flag and my dad’s design, it certainly isn't just any random design that has been whipped together.
“My logo is there to see on the back and then I have got my big supporters, Red Bull, who occupy their place on my helmet. As well as Red Bull, we have Jetcraft on the front, who support me, and then Invicta Finance, who came on board after my first win in Paul Ricard. It is simple, it stands out, and I wouldn't have it any other way.”