Last weekend several MotoGP riders who competed in the Thai GP equipped helmet models that a priori might seem like the ones they always use, although looking at them closely we can see that there were some design details in them that confirmed what we already thought: They are not the usual ones of the brands they sponsor.
MotoGP riders with “camouflaged” helmets
We must admit that we were not aware of this issue until just a few hours ago when our colleagues at Moto IT echoed the news. You have to “throw a fine line” to realize how some MotoGP riders used helmet models that are not theirs in the usual way. Even their exterior designs were quite similar to those seen in each GP.
Specifically, Bagnaia, Bastianini and Moreira took to the track with helmet models that do not belong to the two brands that sponsor them. In the case of the first, it is Suomy who has been in charge of providing this equipment for many seasons now. As for Bastianini and Moreira, they both use models from the KYT range. So, while the Ducati Lenovo rider was using an Alpinestars? model, Bastianini looked like he was wearing an Arai, while the Brazilian Honda LCR rider could have used a Shark model.
The reason is none other than a problem with the new mandatory FIM FRHPhe-02 homologation for the helmets worn by MotoGP riders, as well as those who participate in any international competition. It seems that the models used by any of the three are not yet certified under this demanding safety regulation in force since last February.
At the time of its implementation, the Arai, Alpinestars, AGV, MT, Airoh, HJC and LS2 brands had already developed a total of eighteen models ready to be used in international competitions. As the FIM explained at the time: “From the beginning, the goal of the FRHPhe-02 was to improve head protection for motorcyclists in other disciplines.”
They concluded: “Phase 02 was established, with the collaboration of helmet manufacturers in 2022, to define a new standard that goes beyond those existing on the market (for example, UN ECE 22.06, Snell M2020, JIS T8133), and above FRHPhe-01.” The FRHPhe-02 standards have undergone an improved and more complete performance evaluation and have been previously certified as compatible with an international standard.
This includes new threshold requirements, new impacts and tests, such as new impact tests against oblique and hemispherical anvils (to measure the rotational stresses generated in impacts), a rapid removal cheek pad test and the introduction of a Skull Fracture Criterion (SFC).
