Shark Helmets
TypePrivately held company
IndustryMotorcycle helmet manufacturing
Founded1986 in Marseilles, France
FounderAndré and Robert Teston
HeadquartersMarseilles, France
Parent2 Ride Holding[1][2]
Websitewww.shark-helmets.com

Shark is a French motorcycle helmet manufacturer based in Marseille.[3][4][5] Shark helmets are known for their safety and meet SHARP, DOT, ECE, and FIM standards.[6][7] [8] Though the company is primarily known as a racing helmet manufacturer, they also produce urban/street helmets for commuters.[9][5][7]

History

Shark was founded in 1986 by brothers and former professional racers André and Robert Teston in Marseille, France.[10][11][12][3][8] In 1990, Raymond Roche won the Superbike World Championship wearing a Shark helmet, which increased the brand's popularity.[11][7] Shark's XRC helmet was featured in Motorrad in 1995 as the "best helmet of the year."[13][14] By the end of the 1990s, Shark had opened a factory in Thailand; in 2002, they added one in Portugal.[7][13]

In 2005, AtriA Capital Partners acquired 2R Holdings, which included Shark. Among its first business moves was to open a sales subsidiary in the United Kingdom; by the following year, it had expanded to Germany.[15][13] In 2008, Eurazeo bought out the Teston brothers, giving the company a controlling interest of 57%.[7] In 2011, Shark acquired the Holding Trophy Group, which held Ségura, Bering, and Bagster brands, and subsequently opened subsidiaries in Chicago, Illinois and in Dallas, Texas in the United States.[14][12][16] That year, Perceva Capital became the controlling interest in the company, and nearly 60% of Shark's sales came from outside of France.[13][17][1] In 2016, a factory opened in Normandy, and in 2017, Shark began branching out into outdoor sports after it acquired Lyonnais Cairn.[12][7] In 2019, 2R Holdings acquired Nolan Helmets and its X Lite, Grex, and N-Com brands, increasing the company's production capacity to 800,000 helmets annually.[2][18][7][19] The company launched in the Philippines in 2019.[20]

Professional racers who have worn Shark helmets include Jorge Lorenzo, Johann Zarco, Carl Fogarty, Troy Corser, Miguel Oliveira, Scott Redding, Sam Lowes, and Jorge Martin.[21][14][3][22][9] As of 2019, Shark helmets had been worn by nearly 70 world champions in organizations such as MotoGP, FIA World Endurance Championship, and World Superbike.[14] Shark has sponsored the French Grand Prix every year between 2019 and 2022.[23][21]

Design and safety

Shark's flagship product was the Race-R PRO.[22] In 1991, Shark became the first company to mass produce carbon-fiber lids (ACS) and both homologated full-face and open-face modular helmets.[18][14][13][7][6] They use computational fluid dynamics to reduce "the 'buffeting effect', acoustic nuisances and the aerodynamic drag coefficient."[14] The chinstrap on each helmet has a unique code that can be used to identify when and where it was made, most often in the event of a warranty claim.[3]

SHARP rates the helmets 4-5 stars on average.[8][4][6] Shark also meets DOT, ECE, and FIM standards.[6][7] Part of the internal safety testing utilizes finite element methods.[8] Biking enthusiasts rank Shark helmets in the top 10 safest brands.[4][6]

Though Shark has factories in Thailand, Portugal, and Normandy, France, design work is done only in Marseille.[2][12][19] By the end of the 1990s, Thailand primarily manufactured composite models, "the lightest and also the most expensive" part of the helmets.[7] The Portuguese factory primarily makes "entry-level injected polycarbonate helmets."[7] This shell is heavier than fiberglass helmets but its thickness allows for a higher safety rating.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 Belpalme, Cindy (2011-11-25). "Shark rachète Bagster, Bering et Ségura" (in French). Le Repaire. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  2. 1 2 3 Murphy, Kate (2019-07-25). "Nolan Helmets Eaten By Shark". RideApart. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Marcelo, Maynard (2019-06-28). "Safety by Design: SHARK Helmets". Wheel 2 Wheel. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  4. 1 2 3 "Safest Motorcycle Helmet Brands". Billy's Crash Helmets. 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  5. 1 2 Perelli, Alessandro (2022-07-22). "Shark Street Drak: il casco jet tutto stile e tecnologia per gli "urban bikers"" (in Italian). Motorbox. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Gabric, David (2021-07-30). "Top 10 Safest Motorcycle Helmets For 2021/2022!". Bikers Insider. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Wattez, Eric (2019-11-15). "Les casques Shark peuvent avoir la grosse tête" (in French). Capital. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Shark motorcycle helmets". Motorcycle Sport Touring. 2015. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  9. 1 2 Punsalang, Enrico (2022-06-01). "Shark Launches New Color Options For EVO-ES And EVO-GT Models". Ride Apart. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  10. ↑ Jackson, Brandon (2021-12-08). "[REVIEW] Shark Race-R Pro GP Spoiler Lorenzo Winter Test Edition Helmet". Web Bike World. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  11. 1 2 Ghose, Rahoul (2019-04-22). "SHARK'S SPARTAN LEADING THE CHARGE". NYC Motorcyclist. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Crozel, Jean-Luc (2016-06-28). "Marseille : Shark met le cap sur l'Amérique" (in French). La Provence. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Ferrant, Alexis (2017-05-03). "Histoire marque : Shark" (in French). Le Repaire. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "How Shark Changed Motorcycle Helmets Forever". Motorcycle.com. 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  15. ↑ "AtriA Capital Partners Acquires 2 Ride Holding". mergr. n.d. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  16. ↑ "Shark acquires Bagster, Bering and Segura !". Misfit Made Motorcycles. 2016-06-15. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  17. ↑ Dumitrache, Alina (2011-03-14). "SHARK Helmets Gets Recapitalized, Unveils New Brand Logo". AutoEvolution. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  18. 1 2 "Shark helmets". Moto Central. n.d. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  19. 1 2 McKenzie, Harry (2019-07-30). "SHARK HELMETS CONSUMES NOLAN". Visor Down. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  20. ↑ Rosales, Brando (2019-12-11). "Shark Helmets officially launched in the Philippines". MotoPinas. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  21. 1 2 "MotoGP: Shark Helmets to be title sponsor of French Grand Prix through 2021". Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology. 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  22. 1 2 "Jorge Lorenzo to wear Shark Helmets". MCNews.com.au. 2016-01-19. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  23. ↑ Todeschini, Claudio (2022-04-05). "There is no three without four: Shark Helmets still sponsor of the French MotoGP". MotorBox. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
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