RuSport driver Justin Wilson tried something new for the Grand Prix of Denver – a specially designed helmet by Yamir Velazquez, a 10th-grader at West High School.
Velazquez, 15, won an art contest sponsored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver in July, which allowed time for the design to be transferred onto a Champ Car World Series regulation helmet.
“He did a great job,” said Wilson. “It has a lot of elements incorporated into it. This is the first time I’ve been involved in something like this, and it’s a great idea. It gets the kids involved in racing.”
Wilson, 27, said this also is the first time since he was 12 years old that he has used a helmet that wasn’t his normal paint scheme.
“Yeah, maybe it can change my luck,” said Wilson, who finished eighth Sunday.
The helmet, which will be auctioned at a Boys & Girls Club fundraiser Aug. 26, features the Denver skyline on the front, above the visor. The logo of the Boys & Girls Clubs, American flags, blue lightning bolts, and of course, Wilson’s name, also grace the helmet.
“I had seen a couple of races, and when I found out about the contest I entered it,” said Velazquez, who also dabbles in graffiti art. “It’s the first helmet I designed. … I had a lot of elements that I wanted to put on it … where he was from, the city of Denver.”
Along with adding graphic helmet design to his résumé, Velazquez received the VIP treatment at the race as a guest of RuSport – even garnering the honor of riding in the drivers’ parade with Wilson.
“It’s been great,” Velazquez said. “I’m pleased with the way the helmet came out.”
So pleased that Wilson said the teenager has offered to design another helmet for the Thornton resident.
Eliza Marie Somers can be reached at 303-820-1629 or lsomers@denverpost.com.
