Customise Your Emotion - Image Design Custom

If you’re going racing, you need a helmet, and Miles Lacey wanted to do it properly, with his very own designed from the ground up by the painting virtuosos at Image Design Custom.

Written by: Miles Lacey

There comes a time in your life when you’ve witnessed a million and one different trends, fads and phases, some you might have even partaken in yourself. Be honest, we’ve all had a haircut we’re not proud of at some stage, but by now you’ve likely got a pretty good idea of what floats your boat. As you’ll most likely know, we’re competing in the Britcar Championship this year with James Walker and I piloting the new Praga R1 to what we hope to be moderate success. The striking livery on our car was designed by the one and only Frank Stephenson which meant only one thing, we were going to need some equally striking safety equipment, and so the crew at Image Design Custom stepped in to help us out. So who is this band of talented virtuosos? Having worked together at Altamura Concepts to great success, Thomas Fuller and Stephen Roke joined forces in 2007 to form IDC, and chances are you’ve seen their work in more places than one. Whether you’re a Moto GP rider, Red Bull athlete, Monster Energy addict or world-class cyclist, IDC have had a hand in the artwork they so proudly wear. It seemed appropriate we experience the IDC powerhouse for ourselves, so after a brief call, they were more than happy to come on board and join us on our racing journey this year. I’ve worn helmets for years (call it an occupational hazard), some better than others, but never have I been in the fortunate position to have a completely bespoke design on a brand new skid lid. To have their expertise on this project from the very start was a journey I could never have expected. From the very first conversation with Elliot whom actually penned the distinctive design you see in the images, it was abundantly clear how passionate the team are about their art and creation process. I had a few ideas I wanted to implement in this helmet which were largely born out of my obsession with the BMW art cars from the mid-‘70s. Before now, I’d managed vague attempts at creating a homage to the spectacular work by Alexander Calder from nearly 50 years ago, but sadly, with the best will in the world, it was a fairly uninspiring end result! We bounced ideas off one another and before I knew it, Elliot confidently told me he had some ideas and went away to put pen to paper, figuratively speaking, of course — their design process is a tad more 21st century than a Bic on a Benson & Hedges packet. A couple of days went by and I laid in waiting, doing my absolute best not to message Elliot first, sort of like trying to play it cool with a girl you’ve been waiting to hear from after you met on a night out. Remember those? Not girls, nights out, this thing we used to do back in the day before Zoom quizzes were all the rage, but I digress! Then, it comes, as promised, a message from IDC with the simple subject line ‘Miles Mock Up’. My heartbeat raised, dare I open the attachment? Too late, my eyeballs were graced with everything we imagined and more. It’s a peculiar feeling seeing something you’ve pictured in your mind’s eye for years yet you’re never quite ready to see it fully manifested by someone who has not only interpreted your ideas but created something so resplendent in the process. Needless to say, we were blown away by it, and this was just the drawing! We then went through one or two revisions which resulted in what you see now. Fellow SCD member and IDC director Iain Campbell hand-delivered the finished article to us at Snetterton ahead of our first race in the Praga. Christmas had well and truly come early, nothing could have prepared us for how remarkable it looked in real life. It was everything we envisioned, and some!

As the helmet is the latest and greatest in FIA standards, the shell is carbon fibre which is now the minimum requirement for the likes of F1, Prototypes and GT racing around the world, so why hide it? Every element in black from the design was changed to expose the carbon weave underneath, an inspired idea their design team championed that seriously separates this from the rest. They also implemented a similar feature on James’ helmet.

We were both very clear on what we wanted to achieve with our helmets. We wanted something that was instantly recognisable with a stamp of individuality. Too often you see designs that are so intricate and ornate that are of course impressive works of art, but no one sees it when you’re flying past at 150mph! The guys and girls at IDC are the first to say they operate in a sector that is full of passionate people. Whether it be motorsport, extreme sports or something they have an emotional attachment to, there’s an ingrained sense of passion that is shared and reciprocated by IDC and its customers. I spoke with a selection of the in-house designers and painters, and one thing was clear, they are extraordinarily dedicated and impassioned about their art and creation process. Their expertise isn’t limited to helmets either. More often than not, they told me, people entrust them with their pride and joy such as a motorcycle that’s been in the family for decades. Their résumé includes some frankly breathtaking custom Harley Davidsons which wouldn’t look out of place in an art gallery. Go check out the ‘Flatliner’ on their website and you’ll see what I mean.

Their meticulous attention to detail and quality throughout every single step of the way is second to none as you’ll see in the imagery here. They enjoy the process as much as the end result, and we did too. Boldly stating you are ‘facilitators of lifestyles’ would be an empty mantra for anyone less than the creative crew in Camberley, yet these guys not only coined such a phrase, they deliver on it in droves. @imagedesigncustom

Michael Schumacher’s fi rst Grand Prix car – used by Michael at Spa Francorchamps in 1991. The 191 was the fi rst Jordan F1 car, for the team that has now become the Aston Martin F1 Team. This car was driven by Andrea de Cesaris, Michael Schumacher and Alex Zanardi, in De Cesaris’s hands it came tantalisingly close to winning a GP. A project which was indirectly funded by pop music’s biggest star setting his hair on fi re, lost a driver to incarceration and gave the debut to one of F1’s all-time greats, the 191 could have its own feature fi lm. We are pleased to o er this unique piece of F1 history for sale.

One of the most successful F1 cars of all time the FW18 won 12 of 16 races and the World Championship in 1996, designed by Adrian Newey the car dominated the opposition. This car was driven to 2 pole positions, 3 Race Wins and 2 Second places by Jaques Villeneuve and only decided the World Championship at the last race of the season. O ered complete in running condition and with a complete set of running equipment including pre heaters, jacks and 2 sets new wheels.This car remains eligible for the Williams Racing Heritage program and has most recently been run by Williams. A rare opportunity to acquire a multiple GP Winning car in running condition. Please call for more information.