Helmet Story: Alessandro Pier Guidi

As far as the design of his helmet is concerned, Alessandro Pier Guidi has followed the philosophy of loyalty to a colour scheme, while continuing to evolve it. Such an approach is not uncommon among drivers, but the Italian’s explanation gives it an interesting twist, an ideal that runs parallel with his face in everyday life. It is a story whose roots, also, in this case, can be traced back to when the winner of Le Petit Le Mans 2019 tried his hand at karting.

“My first helmet is not so different from today’s. Indeed, it is immediately recognisable”, says Alessandro. “It was mainly white with blue and gold lines, separated by a thin black line". This design expressed his special bond with his father. “I was a novice kid with a kart, and one night my dad and I sat down at a table in the living room and started thinking about a livery for my helmet. A coachbuilder friend then made the whole thing, and since then the main design is basically unchanged”. Staying faithful to tradition does not mean not refining your design over the years, as illustrated by the FIA WEC 2017 World Champion. “Every year I’ve always changed something, and every new helmet is the result of an evolutionary process that has now been going on for thirty years. Generally, to define the new style I base myself on the last one I used, and if I notice a few details I want to modify I take a photo, and I insert captions to explain what I’d like to change and send it to the designer”.

The helmet’s identity is a key feature for the European Le Mans Series champion. “In my opinion, a driver’s helmet is a little bit like his second face or, if you like, his ‘racing face’. Just as our face changes over the years without getting distorted, I have always evolved my helmet design likewise, keeping it faithful to the original design”.

There are times during the season when “different” versions of helmets are presented. One of them is the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For the 2019 edition, the Italian driver introduced a significant change, abandoning the white of the base colour in favour of a chrome tint. “It was the most radical change in the history of my helmet but, since we won the 24 Hours and I generally liked it a lot, it became my new base for future evolutions”. It is a unique and original helmet, whose design doesn’t contain features inspired by other helmets. “I’ve never looked at other people's helmets”, explains Pier Guidi, "and I never even thought about copying someone else’s. If I had to, I would take Ayrton Senna’s helmet as my inspiration, not so much for the design or the colours, but for what the Brazilian represents, my long-term idol”.