The latest creation from Dirty jerseys is this poster containing photographs of the crash hats of some of the World’s most rapid racers. The poster is on the back of a book called, not surprisingly, ‘Dirty Skid Lids’ which will partner the “Dirty Jerseys’ book you can see elsewhere on this site.

I rented a motorhome to facilitate this idea I had swimming around my head for a while, and loaded it with a light tent, strobes, table, clamps and lots of good intention. The plan was to photograph as many of the elite UCI downhill racer’s helmets as possible. Which is easier than it sounds because they are usually wearing them or have left them in their hotel rooms! I figured if I could get pretty close to the pits then I could use the motorhome as a studio and ferry the lids back and forth. Which I did on the Thursday, when all was quiet and I could manouvre. But after that? As Donny Brasco would say ‘ahh faget about it’!

So I went to Plan B. (I always have a Plan B and C. My Plan D is call it quits and hit the bar). I brought my trusty camping table and ballast bags and set up inside the Nevis Range gondola building. The UCI commissaires gave me stink eye but hey, I had it approved so don’t mess with the Warhead.

But I soon discovered the problem. It had been a good two years since I last visited Fort Bill and the UCI had streamlined their number checking as the riders entered the building, forming a funnel of barriers to guide them past their table. Riders coming in with helmets already in position were unlikely to take them off for the time it took me to shoot four or five different angles. Damn! Outside it was then….  It was unseasonably warm in Scotland and the sun gave me a few headaches; I shot as much as I could in the position to see in pic 2 but eventually moved into shade in another position, which was a relief for my pasty skin I can tell ya. But my new spot meant riders could see me and what I was up to. And most of them got involved. So that’s how it was done. Well, that bit. I will continue shooting more custom helmets for the book but I certainly got more than enough to make the poster you see above. To purchase one click the image above or HERE.

Want to see a sneaky preview of the book? See below.  Let me tell you, I’m stoked, amped and feeling mighty fine.