Design Ideas and Sources

This design of an F300 wheel was sent to me by my friend Mark "Huxford" from New Zealand. He utilized several layers in the wheel "core" that gives it both strength and a feeling of depth. The basic design is a combination yoke/ wheel theme, which I prefer more than a simple yoke idea. A yoke is too aircraft-like for my taste, and doesn't allow for a place to keep your thumbs in closer access to the buttons.

Mark has also done a nice job of contouring the grips - an area that requires attention. It's important to take some time here, because the "feel" of your wheel is essential for maximum control. I know that I've stated this before in my instructions on building a wheel, but it shouldn't be overlooked!

 Click here to give "Hux" some feedback on what you think!

For all you lovers of Grand Prix Legends, I decided to lay out a design for the Lotus wheel. I intended to build one of these before GPL came on the market, but it didn't happen. Perhaps, some enterprising lad will take on this task.

   Mark Gauntlett a newly acquired acquaintance of mine from the U.K., did an incredible job on this wheel. He possesses an amazing amount of innate artistic flair that manifests itself in his ability to reproduce the real thing. Much in the way model builders approach a problem, Mark clearly has a knack for applying realistic detail without using the actual materials i.e., the carbon-fibre look and the padded grips. But, let him tell you in his own words...

"I spray painted the wheel with car paint and achieved a carbon-fibre look by spraying a lighter metallic grey paint onto the wheel surface through a "mask" of plastic mesh. I then added the lettering with Letraset, hand-painted the Personal logo before giving the whole thing a couple of coats of clear lacquer (again car spray paint).
    Next came the covering of the grip section. This could be done with any suitable material, although suede is used on the real thing. I eventually decided to use some of the foam rubber grip sections sold by bicycle accessory shops as handlebar grips for racing bikes. These came as 4 sections each about 260mm (approx. 8½" long). I cut each lengthwise down one side, then wrapped and glued them around the wheel. Short sections were used on the 3 wheel "spokes". As they are intended for bicycle handlebars, the material provides an excellent grip without causing your hands to sweat too much!!!"