The anatomy of my world championship winning livery

Ever wonder how a racing livery is created? How is it different than motorcycle production graphics/livery? How is it the same? And, how does it feel to have your work on a world championship winning team? Read on!

On my previous post about the story of my livery design career I explained how it started and went all the way to the pinnacle of motorcycle racing, MotoGP :)

Here I will explain my racing livery design approach, how is diferent than production livery design, what do they share, and how my design got to be the livery of the 2020 Moto 3 world championship Aspar team….., well, that’s easy: Albert Arenas X Aspar! The right combination AND time (They were also together in 2019) of rider/team, but “how does it feel?” it feels surreal!

As noted on my previous post, I worked with Aspar for their 2014-2015 MotoGP season. After that, I became very good friends with Gino Borsoi (Team Manager) and Majo Botella (Marketing). At the end of 2019, they came to me for livery design help for their 2020 season. They had tested some concepts but it just wasn't coming out up to part :(

Step 1 and main difference with racing to production livery design: For racing, is all about the main sponsor, for production, is all about the brand and the bike, HUGE difference!

So, the starting point is the sponsor logos layout.

Step 2: Once I have an initial (Subject to change!) layout for the logos, my goal (Which is something shared with production livery design) is to create a cool frame for the logos, THAT is THE main goal of a well done livery. Although there is nothing wrong with developing one’s own style, It is a must AND where the challenge lies, to create original work as per the client’s needs, so HERE is where I start looking for inspiration to design that “logos frame”. In the 2020 Aspar case, I looked at tennis shoes! and a bike rendering that caught my attention.

Step 3: Start working the first idea WITH the colors of the main sponsor, in this case, Gaviota.

Although a cool concept already that we all liked, the team was not feeling the overlapping of the Gaviota logo, so…..back to the drawing board and working with all the comments of this first proposal…voila!

The 2nd proposal hit the nail on the head, but in this case, I used their Moto 2 as a template and this one with more of the tennis shoes inspiration.

Step 4: The first real life mockups begun, notice the variation on the belly pan to accommodate another sponsor logo.

Once we have the bike’s livery approved, THIS is THE point of inspiration for the rest of the team’s assets, truck, box, team apparel, rider’s suit etc

All the work was done, ready for the 2020 season and then…COVID-19! However and thankfully, the Moto 2 and 3 teams were already in Qatar, so the first race of the season was possible (But without the GP teams) and….WE WON, WE WON!!! WOW!!!!!

We were all specially proud how the front came out! LOVE LOVE!

Of course, this high was interrupted with the VERY low, a bunch of races cancelled and postponed due to COVID, but once the show went on later in the year, Albert x Aspar continued to win races and have enought top results to:

I was already in shock with the first race win, then more and more, then the whole championship looked very likely and at last! What a feeling and honor, SO SO thankful to Aspar and bravo Albert!

Which, Aspar will continue (as this is very often the case) with the same livery and VERY happy sponsors for 2021, but Albert steps up to Moto2, stay tuned!

Livery design chapter 1: The Story of my livery design career

I’ve been wanting to do this article for a while now. If having one of my motorcycles livery designs win the 2020 Moto 3 Championship isn’t motivation enough, what is it!? :)

When I first stared doing motorcycle racing liveries around 2003, I thought, “there must be a formula” and there sort of was, as there are ones in most commercially creative fields. I quickly found out that the classic “motorcycles racing layout”, had been all over the place, with its most notable example for me here

The lines going from wide at the front to narrow at the tail.

Me being me, right away I knew what NOT to do, and again as in most commercially creative fields, there is also room for no rules and innovation to create one’s own style, so I started developing my own livery design style/vision/philosopy, and not just for racing, but for production bikes as well (Part 2 )

So what was my first ever livery design? A proposal for the Qatar Moto 2 team/my friend Albert Bellido, manager of the Losail track at the time, which, did not get picked up but it gave me the motivation to continue.

Next, a design for my own bike, a 2008 Honda CBR 1000rr. Which in this case, I got to “hear the feedback” of people at the track: Simple yet so great!

Now THIS really really motivated me to keep going, and I did!

Next, a SoCal club racer’s bike for a livery design story in the Next Moto Champion magazine. This one felt a bit more like the real deal! this bike was actually going to RACE! and it had a sponsor with cool graphics to beging with (More on this later)

Next, I placed a small ad on Road Racing Magazine, which brought another club racer in as my next client, but this time, he also wanted the suit!

Next I approached via cold emails all the 2013 CEV (Spain’s national championship) and AMA teams, 2 of them said yes!

Next, from AMA Supersport and CEV Moto 3 to…MOTO freaking GP! The 2014 Aspar MotoGP full livery design with Nicky freaking Hayden! (Still miss you champ!) and THE big question I often get for this one:

How did you get this???

1-If I may say so my self, talent.

3-The luck to have met a friend of a friend of a friend that introduced me to the Losail manager at Lagua Seca 2013 to then become great friends and get VIP paddock passes every year.

3-If I may say so my self as well, Huevos muy grandes! to approach every single teams’ manager “offering my livery design services”, something I did not see anyone else doing and which I did 2, 3 years in a row.

4-Good old/classic perseverance! it took me 2 years approaching Gino Borsoi from Aspar, to have him and his girlfriend/marketing finally come to me on the 3d year: OK, we have a very special year coming, Nicky Hayden-Honda-Drink sponsor, show us what you got, send us a proposal….wow! A total “be careful what you wish for because you might get it” moment! will I fit the bill!??? Yup! they loved it! so much, they asked for the rest of the assets, box, suit, truck, etc

Having already worked at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing, felt like: How much better can it get?, and oh boy, did it! Not just with an extra special special production bike project (Triumph Dayton Moto2 LE), but a world championship winning project! Stay tuned for chapter 2 (Production bikes process and philosophy) and 3 (The anatomy of a world championship winnig livery)

2015 Production liveries...so far

Some of the 2015 production liveries have been unveiled this week at the ECIMA Motorcycle show in Italy.

As you know, SMD is about liveries and design, not performance, which I love but to talk about too, but I leave that to the experts! 

1st, The Yamaha R1M. I would love to know who is their graphics designers or creative director! they do a great job, consistent style/branding from their production bikes to their GP ones.

Production graphics are HARD, because they need to be minimal and yet make a statement AND represent the brand year after year.

This Yamaha R1M does just that.

Next, what will probably be my next bike! (I hope is not super expensive) The Honda RC-213V-S, Honda's answer to the Ducati Desmocedici, a street MotoGP bike.

I can say I am "Honda" guy, love all brands, each ones has something great, but Honda is what I ride, mainly because is so light! (The Honda CBR 1000RR 2008 and on)

I like this livery, but in general, I think Honda is not at the level of Yamaha, Aprilia or Ducati when it comes to production liveries, what do you think?

Next, the Aprilia RSV4RR . LOVE IT! Have also always loved silver for liveries, and it seems that silver is the new black! with the R1M and this one too. I would have just lined up the line on the tank with the line on the faring, same angle. I talked to Miguel Galluzzi, head designer of the Piaggio Group, about SMD doing graphics for Aprilia, we'll see one day :)

Metallic Silver!

Love the bike designed by SMD in Metallic Silver! Special Livery for the 2014 Malaysian GP!

Home of their sponsor DRIVE M7 energy drink

Gino Borsoi the manger told me he wanted it this color for the whole year, but that this the of paint is SO expensive and with the crashes, impossible.

Spirit Of The Seventies

Recently I connected with the SOTS guys, been a fan not only of their bikes but the liveries they do on them!

As you may or may not know, they design, post and people choose from their designs. 

Here are the ones I would like to see made!, some of them have

Coming soon!

WSBK Laguna Seca 2014

Just came back from the Laguna Seca WSBK 2014 round. Love racing at any level, so imagine at World level!

Always very cool to see THE fastest "production" bikes in the world in action.

The main sponsor (Salud and Casa) for the Moto 3 team at CEV Repsol that I work with, also does some sponsoring for Tony Elias in WSBK, they know each other well, so I had a chance to meet and chat with Tony, VERY nice guy!

AND he did very well at Laguna!

My friend Victor from Moto Club di Santa Monica moto store and I had a chance to hang out with

the Aprilia mechanics Saturday at a bar, thanks to our friend Michael Lee from Aprilia USA.

So the next day, also thanks to seeing Miguel Galluzi (Designer of the RSV4, must feel great seeing his world championship winning design in action!) there, we got a chance to see the Aprilia Box :)

and the mechanics in action after the warm up.

Also thanks to Guim Rioda, manager for the Kawasaki Factory team (Fingers crossed SMD does something with them next year! :), we got a chance to see their box.

he explained to me that because of weight, cost to transport, the "real" box walls, they bring these

other ones, that just "roll" up. Still cool to me!

Unlike the MotoGP boxes, the WSBK ones have the "main" telemetry guys/computer in front next to the bikes

at Kawasaki (Some others were in the back), Here Loris was gettin ready for the race.

Tony getting ready, don't know why he was getting suited up in the box :)

Behind the scenes at CEV Repsol

The CEV Repsol championship (Spain's national series), in case you don't know, is THE most important

national championship in the world, why? Well to beging with, it is now runned by Dorna, as a training and breeding ground for future MotoGP racers (I was going to say "stars" but I hate that term for moto racers,

I'll never forget seeing Casey Stoner at a MotoGP event in front of the Chainese Theather in Hollywood years ago, and a fan said to him: How does it feel being a celebrity?! , he responded: I am NOT a celebrity, I am a RACER.... )

I loved that response! yes!

A certain Marc Marquez and many others come from the CEV. Today there is a multitude of riders from other

than Spanish nationalities racing at CEV, so is not just spaniards coming out of it.

It is also al training ground for people in the whole racing structure, mechanics, managers, etc etc

Here is a behind the scenes look at a CEV Repsol weekend for my client Moto 3 team JJ Saez when I was in Barcelona.

Jesus owns a motorcycle shop in Talavera, a town 1 hr away from Madrid. It has 3 floors!

The basement one is the racing workshop, here the Suter Moto 3 is getting ready

Repsol racing gasoline of course

The shop is the middle floor, street level

The top floor has a bunch of collectable bikes!

Jesus is the team owner, rider manager (his 17 year old brother), he can build the whole bike, he is excellent at paint jobs (He did the Moto 3 paint job from the design I did for them and he restores classics) all in one!

I am sure he will go far in the biz

We drove 8 hrs from Talavera to Barcelona/Montmelo track, then all was set up

Maria Herrera is an amazing girl rider running for one of the top CEV Moto 3 team, Etrella Galicia/Monlau Competicion (Marquez came out of there too), I was surprised to see her at my friend's box. Monlau Competcion is an awesome moto mechanics school in Spain, the mechanics for the team were two nice

guys, students from Monlau getting experience and it turns out Maria is their cousin! all in the family :),

Notice the Speed Machines Design logo behind my head! box designed by SMD as well.

Honda Hospiyality, not as big as the MotoGP one, but nice still.

The bike had a "vibration", here the guys from Monlau try something on the swingarm.

Even the young daughter was interested on the thelemetry! they start young!

Our neighbours with a nice KTM

Calvo team in MotoGP and also CEV 

Bike is ready, livery by SMD of course!

Rider getting menatlly ready, racing suit by SMD

To the grid!

Look for the CEV Repsol races on you tube!

walking the track after all races were done

MotoGP Barcelona Race june 2014

The Barcelona race this year has been one of THE best in history and I was SO fortunate to be there!

On this post, I like to show "the experience" of being there, the behind and around the scenes!

Starting with the poster for the race,pretty cool :)

The walk to the track from the train at Montmelo, party time here after the race!

Mmmm! Paella at the track!

Most US races have around 50k people "race day", how about 93k there! 160k over the three days,

Jerez had 120k or so on race day.

Avenue of Champions

The Circuit's permanent store

Hamilton and Bro in tha house!

This is the paddock! and NO, not open to the public, these are all "VIP" guest, so many!

The teams like races where there are less of them, far away countires, etc

Notice all the teams trucks that we don't get to see on the US rounds, to expensive to bring.

I mean, come on Bradl! I know these "pianos" as they call them there (the rumble strips) are a bit higher

maybe for F1, but shoulder down!? Holy Cow

SMD being a livery design studio, let's look at some of the designs:

Trucks

Team Aspar/Drive MotoGP by yours truly! waiting to get a full side shot from the driver's iphone. At the race, they are all parked side to side, and the managers, racers are never there when they are arriving or packing up.

NGM Forward racing's is THE best one in my opinion :) , Matte finish, very cool.

Marc VDS is kicking ass in Moto2 this year! possibly in MotoGP in 2015, we'll see.

These guys are not a racing team, they supply parts, but cool truck still.

Aspar used the same design layout I did for their Drive MotoGP team for their Moto2 truck.

I guess they like it!

Ok, another BIG thing they don't bring to the US is their Hospitalities! and as you will see,

you can imagine how expensive would be to ship these poppies!

Dainese's is "cute" small ! ha ha

Ducati has this one

AND this one!

Aspar's very sleek, outside

And inside :) good food too! big paella.

Second floor :)

Repsol Honda's surprisingly not so big :)

Capirossi (White Shirt/beige pants)

THE biggest one for one of THE smallest teams

Interwetten and RW racing, small but cool

Mighty Alpinestars

A look at Dorna's new truck that handles the visuals/graphics for the track's big advertiser's monitors

and podiums backgrounds etc.

Both the graphics for the track screens and podium backgrounds vary per track, so they have to be

 custom designed and fitted on the spot! 

Got to do a bit of "action" photography!

Just let the pros do it! plus, he's got a bigger one than me! lol

Got to ride right next to the track on a scotter, with my friend Albert, Qatar Circuit's manager.

Can't begin to tell you how insane was to see Rossi and company SO close out of turn 3!

AND breaking from 215mph for turn 1

Humm, I wonder who they are taking pictures of?...

And why is his dressing room so up high like a King's baclony under the top canopy

They also don't bring to the US the heavy cealing for the pit box.

Anthony West going of over pointers and telemetry on the track map

Time to walk the track later after the race!

The surface looks a bit like Willow Springs, looks very nice and with lots of grip to me!

But Rossi says that it needs to be repaved, no grip! jeez

The crazy for Marquez fans after the race

I went to the track 4 days, 2 days each weekend (MotoGP and CEV) These local old timers were

there all the time! just relaxing, checking the girls go by :)

Once you see how many motorcycles ans scotters they have EVERYWHERE, you can understand

why MotoGP is so big in Spain and Europe in general. Yes, this shot is near the race, but it would be

the same scene in Barcelona any day of the week! 

Can't go to the race? see it at the Montmelo plaza!

Spain Sports Bar, no not soccer, 24hrs Of Le Mans! I have yet to see it!

All Bikes Bow to the New King of Spain!

Party time at Montmelo after the race, hope you enjoyed this special post!

SILVER LIVERIES- Silver is the new black

This year I did the Drive M7 Aspar MotoGP livery with silver because of the silver on the sponsor's can,

But then by coincidence, Aprilia came out with silver as well for their WSBK RSV4 looking awesome!

Talking to Miguel Galluzzi, the designer for Aprilia, told me that they came up with it and did it in three days!

Lets look at silver liveries from the past and present. Silver in racing has a GREAT history, is a MUST have.

I was here when they turned this thing on this classic bike/livery! SO LOUD

One of the riders with most personality! Guy Martin, I love this old school look, all black leathers :)

The old norton

The New

The Old Ducati

The new

Wait till you see when this one below is done!

And of course, looking awesome at night :)

Would not be a complete post without these :)

MotoGP Post Race Box

After every race, the MotoGP bikes get disasambled and cleaned up like new for the next round!

Here we can see some shots I took of the Drive/Aspar faring done by SMD. The bike goes in big anvil cases.

I even saw one with the bike and racing suit in it!

Meeting Miguel Galluzzi

I had the honor of meeting with Miguel Galluzzi, designer of the Ducati Monster, Aprilia RSV4 and more,

for posible work for the Piaggio Group, keep you posted!

KARTING LIVERIES

Recently I went to SMD's designer Howie's son's karting race event. Of course everything that has wheels, an engine and is racing has cool liveries! 

This is Howie's son....numero uno! mind you :) and Kart livery by Howie.

Another one By Howie Idelson

LOTUS Kart anyone?

Caterham Kart anyone?

GULF LIVERIES

Continuing with the series of iconic liveries on different type of vehicles.

MARTINI LIVERIES

Here are a few Martini Liveries to get a good perspective of the ways a sponsor's design

can be done on different vehicles and a bit of the history on it.

 THE NEW PORSCHE 918

DUCATI PANIGALE 

KODA FACTORY RACING CAR

LOTUS CONCEPT BIKE

DUCATI 1098

PORSCHE BY KAR AYAONE

ONE OF MY FAVOURITES , THE MIGTHY PORSCHE 917

THE OLD PORSCHE 918

MARUSSIA F1

F1 RENDERING