Cool colours mixed with camo: Joshua Dufek on his racing helmet design

Joshua Dufek has a very unique helmet design on the 2024 Formula 3 grid, and the AIX Racing driver is the latest talent to talk us through their design.

Incorporating elements he’s had since his very first racing helmet, Dufek details all of the little parts that make up his favourite design he’s ever had.

“My first painted helmet and she looked quite different to this one and it was a gift from a friend. Up until then, I only really had the white, basic helmet, and so it was a surprise. I didn't actually design it, but it was blue, and it did actually have some hints of yellow, like on here.

“The yellow is something I've always kind of kept give or take. I think I have one element where I tried out something different, but I think the yellow is something I really like and it kind of pops. It looks nicer on track as well.

“All my previous helmets always had the chrome which I quite liked, and this one had it too, but I wanted to go for something a bit darker to bring out the yellow a bit more. So with the red, it looks cook. I think the official name is like, root beer red or something.

“So I paired that with this kind of triangle camo. I've always have had that, and I think it's something I'll always keep as well because I really, really like it and I think it brings out kind of uniqueness in my helmet. Yeah. So this is definitely my favourite helmet I've ever had.

“Normally you get a new helmet, you're like, ‘it looks really good’ when you first see it because it's new, but even now, I'll come back to the track and I'll be like, ‘wow, this is a nice helmet’.

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“I've had my logo for a while actually. Not always in this colour and format. Actually, the logo is the only change on this design I’d make. I think it's a bit too big, but I've always had this kind of logo and it's the logo on my website as well and stuff. It's something that I'll keep forever.

“What’s my favourite part? That's a difficult one. I think. To be honest, I can't say that there's one part that's really my favourite because they all kind of go together, if that makes sense. Like, you can't really have one without the other. If I would take away the neon yellow, then something would be missing, and it would be the same if I took away like this camo.

“If I had to choose one part, I'd say it's this root beer red because that's kind of the newest thing I haven't had that on any other helmets before, and I feel like that has really made a difference.

“It turned out really nice and the painter DiR Designs, he did a really great job and he's done like an amazing job with all my helmets.

“This is an Arai helmet. I think Arai is really my favourite. It depends on your head shape, and this is the company is for me. It's comfy and it looks nice.

“If I was going to do a special version, I would say I would keep pretty much the same design, but just implement them the Austrian colours and art. I think that's what I would do. It's probably something I'll look into doing maybe next year or something, throwing some red and white in there so I’d bring out the Austrian colours.”