A Dakar Rally rider’s lid is not only the most important (and potentially life-saving) part of his kit but it is also one of the few forms of personal expression: the colours, logos and design often carrying extra significance for the athlete. Inside the helmet a racer will pass many hours talking, encouraging and shouting at his-or-herself. The 5000km, two-week trek that is the 2019 Dakar will bring a flurry of emotions as the rally charges through the sand and landscapes of Peru. Victory and elation is often offset by disappointment or misfortune. In the worst cases: pain and anguish.
Motorsport is often one of the loneliest pursuits and it does not come more personally draining and difficult than the hours in the saddle required at the Dakar. Riders’ decisions and contracts for helmets and their comfort is a particular choice but the final preparation and customisation – at least for the Monster Energy HRC crew with their focus on the final prize - falls down to the tools and talented eye of Slim Grafix’s Petr Šimák. The Czech has been charged with the shades of the Honda elite (Joan Barreda, Paulo Gonçalves, Jose Ignacio Cornejo, Ricky Brabec and Kevin Benavides) and his work has been seen throughout a number of racing scenes like F1, Speedway, Road Racing, Rally and extreme sports since the beginning of the century.