Alexander Wurz : an unusual helmet...
Toyota driver Alexander Wurz, is a busy man. As well as testing the Toyota TS030 Hybrid, the youngest winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours has served as coach for the Williams-Renault team in Formula 1, and with his father, owns a driver training company (Test & Training), and his spare time is devoted to painting. No easel or paintbrush for the Austrian driver, but two helmets and an airbrush ...
Alexander Wurz helmet design is one of the most unusual. A perfectionist, the Austrian driver decided to paint his own helmets in 2000, tired of hearing complaints from traders against the complexity and length of the drawing process. He then converted a bathroom into a workshop for a few days or months! "I'm not often at home", apologizes Alexander Wurz. "It took me over two months to finish the last two helmets. "
When moved from karting to single seaters at 17, the Austrian driver made a hundred drawings to achieve the final version in 1993. "The blue on the top of the helmet represents the sky", says Alexander Wurz. "The green at the bottom symbolizes earth and yellow at the front and back, sunrise and sunset. All around the helmet, the red and white zigzags celebrate the Austrian flag. They were my trademark already in BMX when I was 12. "
Each helmet is unique because Alexander Wurz draws by hand and without a plan! Three to four full days of painstaking work is needed to perform two works of art. "It's kind of a love-hate relationship", says the Austrian. "I love to paint, but the preparation of each step is very, very long. "
Fortunately for Alexander Wurz, the Toyota Hybrid TS 030 is a closed prototype, which helps extend the life of a helmet. Former Formula 1 driver does not complain: it leaves him time to carry out varied activities, such as coaching or actions for road safety with his company, but also and above all, his job as a driver, but that's another story for an upcoming article ...
See all the steps in creating Alexander Wurz's helmet design on the site www.toyotahybridracing.com
Cécile Bonardel
Photo: BRASELTON (GEORGIA, UNITED-STATES), ROAD ATLANTA RACE-TRACK, PETIT LE MANS, THURSDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 2011, FREE PRACTICE. Alexander Wurz designs his helmets by himself.