Art at Full Speed
When you think about art sometimes we can forget the various canvases in which they appear. Whether it is a paper napkin or a brick wall the work produced can be awe inspiring. I have one particular "canvas" that I am fond of and that is the artwork that appears on the helmets of racers in motorsports. This artwork can be reflective of many things: someone nationality, personality, a specific interpretation of a logo or geographical location, or family heritage. These images can range to the very simple, to the very intricately detailed.
Some examples of the above are 1996 Formula One champ, Damon Hill. He used the same simple and easily identifiable design as his father, symbology that represented the London Rowing Club for which Graham Hill rowed in the early 1950's. Conversely, the design of F1 test driver and 24 Hours of LeMans winner, Alex Wurz is certainly a reflection of his personality (he used to race with different colored boots on each foot)and nationality with the red and white of Austria. Also, some drivers design their own helmets. 1997 F1 Champion Jacques Villeneuve put together his bold multi-colored simple design that invokes his initials.
There are many, many examples of beautifully designed helmets and it is a matter of taste on what one thinks is noteworthy. Moreover, you can definitely find more exotic and extreme examples.
However, I think the person that deserves a lot of attention when it comes to his designs is MotoGP Legend, Valentino Rossi. Not only is he an artist on a motorcycle with 7 championships at the highest level of motorcycle racing, he has a flair saved only for a true show man. With the hand of Aldo Durdi, Rossi's common theme elements of the sun and moon signifying the two sides of his personality, are pieces that you would rather have on a mantle instead of a MotoGP race.
Rossi has worn many different helmets during his career and you can check out the beautiful designs and design descriptions at http://rossihelmets.com/rossis-helmets/
Below are two of the many examples of Rossi's helmets:
When one looks at these creations, you can only appreciate the unseen hands of the artists and in many cases the vision of the racers that put many hours of work into these tools of safety.
Some examples of the above are 1996 Formula One champ, Damon Hill. He used the same simple and easily identifiable design as his father, symbology that represented the London Rowing Club for which Graham Hill rowed in the early 1950's. Conversely, the design of F1 test driver and 24 Hours of LeMans winner, Alex Wurz is certainly a reflection of his personality (he used to race with different colored boots on each foot)and nationality with the red and white of Austria. Also, some drivers design their own helmets. 1997 F1 Champion Jacques Villeneuve put together his bold multi-colored simple design that invokes his initials.
There are many, many examples of beautifully designed helmets and it is a matter of taste on what one thinks is noteworthy. Moreover, you can definitely find more exotic and extreme examples.
However, I think the person that deserves a lot of attention when it comes to his designs is MotoGP Legend, Valentino Rossi. Not only is he an artist on a motorcycle with 7 championships at the highest level of motorcycle racing, he has a flair saved only for a true show man. With the hand of Aldo Durdi, Rossi's common theme elements of the sun and moon signifying the two sides of his personality, are pieces that you would rather have on a mantle instead of a MotoGP race.
Rossi has worn many different helmets during his career and you can check out the beautiful designs and design descriptions at http://rossihelmets.com/rossis-helmets/
Below are two of the many examples of Rossi's helmets:
When one looks at these creations, you can only appreciate the unseen hands of the artists and in many cases the vision of the racers that put many hours of work into these tools of safety.
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