Loading AI tools
French motorcycle helmet manufacturer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
Shark Logo | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorcycle helmet manufacturing |
| Founded | 1986 in Marseilles, France |
| Founder | André and Robert Teston |
| Headquarters | Marseilles, France |
Key people | Matthieu Bazil (CEO) |
| Products | Motorcycle helmet |
| Parent | 2 Ride Holding[1][2] |
| Website | shark-helmets |
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]
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]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
