God save the King: Indy 500's Jack Harvey reveals helmet design honoring King Charles, British Royals

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Jack Harvey is a Brit through and through.

The British racer revealed his helmet design for the 107th Racing of the Indianapolis 500 on Thursday, and it is an homage to the United Kingdom’s new King Charles, who was officially coronated earlier this month, and the British royal family.

The helmet design, which he unveiled in a video posted to his Twitter, is royal purple and gold. The top of the helmet mimics the coronation crown, with the “Harvey” logo on the top. Lifelike images of King Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth adorn the side of the helmet, and sponsors are scattered throughout.

At first, Harvey said he was struggling with what design to do for this year’s Indy 500 — he thought nothing could top his 2022 Star Wars-themed helmet.

“I kind of tossed a few ideas around, I guess I kind of forgot that the coronation was happening in May,” he said at the Indy 500 media day Thursday.

More: Complete guide to 2023 Indy 500: All of our coverage of the 107th running

But with what he hopes is a once-in-a-lifetime event with the coronation, he knew what route he needed to go.

“I know the royals can be a touchy subject for some people, but at minimum, it’s a huge part of my culture from the U.K.,” Harvey said. “Being able to share that and celebrate that — my mom and dad had never seen a coronation before and a lot of people, we hope it is a once-in-a-lifetime situation. It was just cool to be able to celebrate the history of the U.K. and what the U.K. is about."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500: Jack Harvey reveals helmet design honoring King Charles, British Royals