P136
CN
III LOWSIDE
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
W
hen I was a kid growing
up in Australia, Sunday
nights were usually
filled with watching that day's
500cc or Formula One grand
prix, the two and four-wheeled
heroes and their screaming
machines filling every available
audible space in the living room
and down the halls.
I loved those days, but one
thing stands out above all else—
the yellow and green helmet of
three-time Formula One World
Champion Ayrton Senna.
That lid was as good a trade-
mark as the red on a can of
Coke or the black and orange
of Harley-Davidson. It was not
just a symbol of the man, it was
something to be feared. If your
wing mirrors were filled with that
ominous helmet, you knew you
were in for some trouble.
Then there were the various
designs adorning the cranium of
one Jeremy McGrath throughout
the 1990s. Painted by the legend-
ary Troy Lee, you could always tell
it was made for McGrath despite
changing constantly over the
years. In direct contrast to Senna's
helmet, McGrath's were an evolv-
ing statement of who he was and
where he was at a particular point
in his life and career, interpreted by
a true genius of the game and put
on show for us all to see.
There are a few other designs
that come to mind—pretty much
every one of Valentino Rossi's
helmets, Anthony Gobert's green
and black grim reaper from
WorldSBK, Troy Corser's croco-
dile, or the Pascal Picotte Shoei
Joker helmet.
I always wanted a custom-
painted lid but never thought I
would be in a position to wear
one. In truth, I didn't fully under-
stand the effort and the process
a painter goes through to make a
piece of art for just one person.
Over the last six years, I've had
two custom helmets, both for my
various attempts at the Pikes Peak
International Hill Climb. Each was
created by another legend in the
Southern California motorsports
industry, Tag Gasperian who, in
collaboration with his son, Bron-
son, pumps out an incredible
number of personal and intimate
designs for some of the fastest
riders and drivers on the planet.
My first helmet was a bit of a
tribute to another lost Formula
One star in German Stefan Bellof,
Tag and his son
Bronson Gasperian
(right) with their
finished handywork.
You'd be pleased too
if you'd just spent over
20 hours painting
one helmet!
BE YOURSELF