Helmet Design Story Time: Job van Uitert… Super Noodle

Dutchman Job van Uitert has become one of the brightest young talents in endurance racing, bagging the 2018 ELMS LMP3 title in his first year in sportscars before finishing runner up in the LMP2 and overall Championship standings in 2019 and almost winning Le Mans on his debut.

In 2020 he joined United Autosports for their ELMS title challenge, taking a race win at the opening round at Pau; Ricard and combining with teammates Alex Brundle and Will Owen to finish second in the Championship standing and earn yet another Auto entry for the 2021 Le Mans 24 Hours for the Yorkshire-based team.

Time to tell the story behind his lid.

“My helmet design is based on that of my father, Arthur. He raced Formula Ford for years and his helmet featured the Dutch red white and blue colours but more importantly, it has the gears on the side of the helmet. His company specialises internal transport systems and conveyor belt solutions, so it has to keep the gears turning.

When I started racing in the Mazda MX5 cup in 2014 it was the most logical thing for me to stick close to his design. I grew up around racing cars thanks to his racing and for us, the racing really became a father-and-son affair. Over time my helmet design evolved, became more intricate but I am proud to say it still is a real Van Uitert Helmet, easily recognised by the gears on the side.

For 2019 I ditched the usual colour scheme to integrate the G-Drive Racing colours. I wanted to be a part of the team in every way possible and having your helmet match the car felt right and looked very cool!

It didn’t hurt that orange is the Dutch national sporting colour either.

For this year I went old-school, returning to my original colours while trying to come up with a fresh look that complements the United Autosports car and I am very pleased with the outcome!

On the back of the helmet, there is a feature that has been there for years now, Super Noodle, my nickname.

After finishing up the 2016 German and Italian F4 championships my dad gave me the opportunity to do something completely different and race his 25-year-old Van Diemen in the Formula Ford Festival with Geva Racing, the team he raced for and I grew up with. No wings, no power, no grip but so much fun. I finished 11th out of about 80 entrants and raced against mostly 2016 machinery.

During the weekend I suddenly developed a taste for instant noodles, and the team, my teammate Scott Malvern, the event organisers and even the marshals started calling me Noodle.

After finishing so well up in a car that was older than me, the team changed it to Super Noodle and I wear it proudly!

The post Helmet Design Story Time: Job van Uitert... Super Noodle first appeared on dailysportscar.com.