SPECIALIST SPOTLIGHT: SHARK HELMETS
The inside line on the French specialist that’s one of the best-selling helmet manufacturers in the world
Shark was founded in 1989 by two brothers, both professional racers. The racetrack is one of the toughest environments for a helmet, so their racing experience gave them a firm understanding of what makes a helmet work. From the start, the decision was made that Shark helmets wouldn’t just meet safety standards, they would exceed them.
To ensure total control over their designs, Shark built their own production facilities at their base in Marseilles, France. This meant they were able to make changes to designs instantly, rather than rely on external resources often on the other side of the world. To ensure the best experience for the rider, Shark also invested heavily in computer technology, using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as a key element in their design process.
3D printing has been adopted, allowing Shark to quickly build physical prototypes for testing once the computer modelling is completed.
Each Shark helmet is designed according to the principle of ‘Reverse Engineering’. This is when the user’s body shape is the starting point – effectively, they’re made from the inside out. During the design process, the motto is ‘Designing for a function’. This means each line, curve and feature on the helmet has to have a function and serve a purpose which positively impacts the end user.
A key component of Shark’s success is innovation: Shark’s ethos is to always push technical boundaries. They actively invest a percentage of their profits into innovation, with a number of patents conferred each year. This constant drive to innovate has seen Shark record a number of firsts. The XRC Carbon was the first industrially produced Carbon Fibre helmet and the Skwal (featuring LED lights built in) are just a couple of examples. The Evo Line, launched in 2011, was the first helmet to include an innovative flip design which was dual homologated as an open-face and full-face helmet.
An essential element of this innovative stance is a continuation of Shark’s early ethos. The company started out using the knowledge of it’s racer founders. This process continued, working with the likes of multiple World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty, and the company continues to work with top racers such as Miguel Oliveira, Tom Luthi, Johann Zarco, Scott Redding and Sam Lowes to get their feedback to improve the range.
Last year, Shark was the first helmet manufacturer to have a FIM homologated helmet for circuit racing available in all sizes – the Race-R Pro GP FIM Racing #1. The FIM Racing #1 standard is a mandatory certification in FIM competition categories – including the MotoGP and World Superbikes – and is now available for customers.
Alban Rojas, SHARK Helmets Research & Innovation Manager, said: “SHARK Helmets has been relying on motorcycle racing to boost brand development ever since its creation. We are very proud to be one of the first brands in the world to receive the FRHPhe-01 homologation for our flagship model.”
Just over 30 years after they began, Shark now employs over 600 staff, selling 350,000 helmets a year worldwide, roughly one helmet every minute and a half.