During the upcoming weeks without Formula 1, nevertheless, we still want to share our love for racing with all of you. Therefore we had a look into our foto-archives and found some special pictures where we can tell you a short story about. All of these little and exciting moments of the year, we want to show you in our Schuberth Racing review of the previous year. Today we start with the first part of it – the GP of Japan in Suzuka:
Heavy rain in Japan was the reason for some confusion on Saturday morning and therefore the Qualifying was started on Sunday.
If it rains as strong as in Japan, a Formula-one helmet must be cleaned and dried again, up to the smallest opening for perfect comfort and the perfect look.
In Japan this was very important on Michael Schumacher’s helmet. His helmet appeared in a slightly changed design in Japan. On each side, new sponsors logos were gleaming on the helmet of the 7-times world champion. A reason for us to show to you a few nice pictures from Japan:
Because the decision occurred relatively at short notice to Japan GP, the logos could not become fully painted for the Race in the Far East.
Hence, we had to stick the logos on all 3 helmets of Michael on the sides. The result is worth a notice. We hope you like it, too. But it was a lot of work, always to stick new logos on it and remove them after each session for cleaning the gear. But this is what makes the Schuberth Racing Service so special. To give the products the special look. The logos became then fully painted for the last three races on all helmets.
TS: “What about Michael Schumacher. How was it back then?”
JM: “Michael Schumacher already had his own design back then, when he came to us and Schuberth. From then on we tried to bring in our ideas.”
(Helmet gallery Schumacher)
TS: “How many designs have you been doing for Schumacher so far ?
JM: “I would call it design development. There have been about 20-30 since 2001. The most important step was certainly when I was able to convince him that his name didn´t need to be on the helmet. At that time he was already 3-time world champion.
Another step was when I had suggested to him to wear the names of his family on the helmet. He really liked that idea from the beginning and it was very important for him to carry his family “along with him”
TS: “What was the most spectacular helmet, which you´ve designed?”
JM: „Regarding the emotions involved, it definitely was the helmet we designed after 9/11/2001. Three weeks after that we had the U.S. Grand Prix and we thought about how we can set a mark and so the idea came up to replace the Germany-colors with the star- spangeled banner. Even CNN did report about Michael Schumacher driving with the American flag on the helmet. The helmet was auctioned off afterwards to support the victims of the attack.
TS: “How long does it usually take before a design is actually implemented, from the initial idea to the finished helmet?”
JM: “From the first idea to the graphics and finally to the first painting, you can expect about 2-3 days.”
TS: “Some of our readers are probably keen hobby riders. How long does it take for them until the helmet is finished? “
JM: “Once design is fixed, it takes about 15h to paint and build the helmet. The problem is that we have very long waiting list. Especially right now in preseason. We actually paint 2 helmets per week maximum. “
(QF1 – Nick Heidfeld. Schuberths first formula1 helmet)
TS: “How many employees do you have now?”
JM: “We are currently seven.”
TS: “And how many of them are airbrush artists?”
JM: “It isn´t divided that simply. We have people for the graphics processing, printing and organization, everyone else is involved in the painting process. One does more of the preparation work, the other applies the lines- there are different stages here. Basically, the work at each helmet is coproduction, so several employees work on a helmet at the same time. “
TS: “What does it cost to design a helmet if I would ask as a private person with my motorcycle?”
JM: “We currently do not bike helmets anymore. This is a result of waiting times getting longer and longer. So we had to limit ourselves to a scene that we can serve within a reasonable time – for motorcycle helmets there was simply no time left. In addition, a motorcycle helmet and it´s mechanic is very complex and very costly to deconstruct. We have a lot of slidings, air hoses and components, which can not be dismantled that easily. To paint a motorcycle helmet properly you really need the raw shells, which is impossible with most of the motorcycle brands – except for Schuberth, since it is obviously much easier because of the existing cooperation.
TS: “You are also producing the replica helmets for the formula 1 teams and private customers. Does this process take as long as an original race helmet? “
JM: “Yes, the only thing that might go faster is the simultaneous painting of several helmets at a time. The preparation time is shorter with composing the color for more then one helmet. But the production of a Replika helmet is exactly the same as the original race helmet.
TS: “What was the hardest deadline you had to meet?”
JM: “There have been cases in which I´ve received calls in the evening and the morning after, the helmet had to be finished. Especially in the beginning with Nick Heidfeld when Schuberth started with F1, the shell was constantly modified and aerodynamic components had to be adjusted. There were some night-shifts for us.”
TS: “Jens – thank you for your time. And to round it all of, we will paint a Michael Schumacher’s Helmet all red now.”
Some shots of the following steps are uploaded on flickr:
With more than 70 years of experience, Schuberth GmbH has developed a wide range of superb products and is a trailblazer in head protection technology. Schuberth is an innovative, modern and global high-technology development and manufacturing company located in Magdeburg.
