The story behind the helmet: Andreas Mikkelsen

Matéria muito bacana do WRC.com sobre as origens do capacete de Andreas Mikkelsen. Especialmente a homenagem dele à garota Elise. Lindo da parte dele.

VOLKSWAGEN’S ANDREAS MIKKELSEN IS THE LATEST DRIVER TO SHARE THE STORY OF HIS CRASH HELMET DESIGN WITH WRC.COM.

Here he talks about colour choices, visor preferences and the personal tribute he always carries to a late rally fan.

Flashing pulses and Norwegian snow 
“This is my second helmet of the season, new for Poland I think, and when it came to the design I tried to get something more detailed than my previous one, which was quote plain. Obviously the colours of Red Bull feature a lot, especially the blue and grey, but I wanted to get some white in there too. The design we arrived at has a sort of jagged white flash, like a pulse, between the blue and the grey sections. It looks amazing to me. On top, the blue area at the front becomes more dotted with white as it reaches the back. I’ve been asked if this is a reference to the snow in Norway. I suppose it could be, but I just thought it added something to a plain colour! There are more dots, in red and silver, on the sides.”

National pride and a touching tribute 
“My name is written on the side, there are some sponsor logos and of course a big VW emblem on the peak. KNA is the Royal Norwegian Automobile Club - that’s the club that I’m racing for. They have been a backer of mine for a number of years. On my right cheek I proudly carry the Norwegian flag. At the back is Elise. This is the name of the girl who was tragically killed in an accident on the Rally Larvik in 2009. I always have her name on my helmet. She rides with me on every rally.”

Visor envy? 
“I always use open face rally helmets. And I think this design is the only one we can use, so there’s not so much choice. I know Sebastien Ogier’s helmet has the visor, but he never uses it. It does look cool though. The only reason I haven’t got one myself is because I have never been offered it! Maybe for my next helmet I’ll try and get one.” 

Fonte: www.wrc.com

Beijinhos, Ludy