This is the concluding post in a series of five (In Progress, Progress pt2, Progress pt3, Finished!) that shows the steps involved in a professional custom helmet paint job by Marc Garcia of Magaro Paintings in Barcelona.
I received the helmet from Marc at Valencia and was thrilled to meet him in person for the first time (thanks to Italian colleague Marco Masetti for the photo):
Since returning home I’ve been trying to get photos of the helmet that I’m happy with and found this difficult for two reasons. First is that the paint job really needs good lighting to reveal some of the details, mainly the metallic paint in the center stripe and in the rider silhouette that is based on the Casey Stoner: Elbow Down image.
Second is that the finish of the helmet is so shiny and reflective it’s really difficult to photograph without also doing a self-portrait! The other day I finally got some good weather here in the Bay Area and was able to get the images below. I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing this project from start to finish.
As useful as photographs are for showing what something looks like, these don’t show what it feels like to hold this helmet and absorb the craftsmanship that went into its rebirth. The finish is perfect, like something from the most efficient factory, but the design is unique and so personalized that the effect of holding the helmet in my hands must be something like what a professional rider feels when presented with the crash hat created just for him or her.
But the part that really gets me is something I want to acknowledge here in public as well as in person, as I did at Valencia: I’m overwhelmed by the personal gesture Marc has made here to create this for me. His offer to do so and the amazing talent and amount of time he spent on this project are much more a representation of his character and generosity than anything I’ve done to deserve such a gift. Yes, I’m working on a large selection of MotoGP prints that will soon decorate the walls of his studio as a way of showing my deep thanks, but when I think back to when he first offered to paint a helmet for me, motivated only by his own generosity, I’m amazed once again at how wonderful are so many of the people I’ve met on this fantastic MotoGP adventure I’m on. Marc has distinguished himself even among this group.
Having this helmet is made even better by how pleasant it was to meet for the first time someone with whom I’d only exchanged emails for over a year. As I worked away in the Media Center at Valencia, Marc found me and indulged my lack of Spanish with his very good English, took me to the AGV truck in the paddock where the helmet was being fitted with a visor, presented it to me in the most gracious manner imaginable, and for the rest of the weekend, even more so in person than he’d done in many emails, showed me that he is in fact one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. As pleased as I am with his gift of the helmet, I’m even more grateful to count him among my friends. So if you’re a regular reader of this website or my , I hope you’ll bear with as I do what I can to bring his talents and creativity to as many other people as I can. He truly deserves any help I can give him.
So one final time (here, at least), thank you Marc for this amazing gift!
Thanks also to Maurizio Vitali of AGV (you’ve probably seen him on TV handing Valentino Rossi his helmets) for the visor with tear-off (should come in handy on the streets of Oakland!) and helmet bag.
And one more huge thank you to my friends at the San Francisco D-Store for the loaner AGV GPTech helmet while mine was in Barcelona. Shelli, Mike, Louda, Graham and Angelo, you guys are the best!
