WHAT DRIVES YOU?

INTERVIEW W/ HELMART DESIGNER TYLER RICHARDSON

I've been following Tyler's work for quite some time now and I finally got to meet him whilst I was in New Zealand for the two RWB Porsche builds. He has some incredible talent and was the person behind the custom design work on the below engine fan for New Zealand's very first RWB.

Here you can see that this once bare fan now has the Porsche logos in a chrome finish, which is illustrated on every 4th fin, along with a chrome RWB logo on the inner circle. The inner barrel features metallic Porsche and RWB NZ logos, then over the top of that is 100 painted names of other RWB Porsches from around the world that Nakai-san himself has built.

The fine attention to detail and profusion of hours that have been put into this unique engine fan is beyond incredible - leaving the master himself (Nakai-san) speechless! And it's that same amount of detail and dedication that is evident throughout Tyler's custom helmet paintwork.

It's all about the details.

At the age of just 13, Tyler started Helmart Helmet Design after his parents got him a plain white Arai helmet for when he raced go-karts. He saw the helmet as a blank canvas and decided to experiment and have a go at the paintwork. After many different designs for not only himself but also friends, it soon turned into a full time business.

© Image by Kyle McLennan/M2 Motorsport

Now Tyler's helmets are being worn by various drivers, all around the world - from Sébastien Buemi who drives for Toyota in the World Endurance Championship to Nigel Petrie from Engineered to Slide.

Not only is Tyler the creative force behind the helmets, but he is complete car nut, owning a neat MK2 Escort, and a bagged daily driven 1 series BMW, which I took photo's of during the two RWB builds.

Sitting on a tidy set of Rotiform LVS 3-piece wheels (18×8.5" fronts & 18×9.5" rears) the car has a subtle yet aggressive presence about it, which is quite the contrast from his bright and colourful helmet designs.

After shooting Tyler's car and being inspired by his artistic flair, I was intrigued to find out what motivates him to stay driven.

1| What drives you?

My cars! My family have always been around Ford Escorts, my dad still owning his rally spec mk1 escort, and my uncle still owning his mk2 wide body track car (although both currently have no engines in them hopefully they see the road again someday).

I am now lucky enough to join them in owning one! Mine is a 1980 mk2 2 door 1600 sport. With almost a full restoration taking place to get rid of all of the rust in the floors, along with a complete respray, shaved engine bay and BBS RS wheels with custom made turbo fans among other things.

My daily driver and Helmart delivery vehicle is a 2008 118d E87 1 series BMW hatch, with Airrex Air-ride struts and Accuair e-level management. Along with 18' 3pc Rotiform LVS wheels.

2| What motivates you?

I am motivated by joining both the highest quality possible with doing things that haven't been done in everything that I do. Whether it is in my helmet paintwork, my cars, or even lately my photography. I believe that everything worth doing is worth doing right. And when the task is finished and you can look back on all of the stress, the time and patience involved in making the initial idea come to life and think to myself how awesome it is. That is what continues to motivate and push me further for sure.

I started Helmart when I was around 13 because I loved creating things, and to this day I still love what I do. Being able to create pieces of one off artwork for racing drivers to wear across the world, is pretty awesome.

3| Who inspires you?

A tough question! Its something I often tell people and I get a few weird looks for it. But one of my main forms of inspiration for my designs and paintwork comes from music. Most of my design renders for the helmets are done late at night listening to music, and the different songs I listen to can totally change the way my designs come together and flow. One of my favourites is a DJ named Kidnap Kid.

Whenever I finish painting a helmet I put together a short video of it showcasing the way the colours, details & different finishes work against each other, something that photos just aren't enough for. The songs used in these videos often have helped at night when doing the design for that helmet.

@Tyler_Helmart
www.helmart.co.nz