Company type | Privately held company |
---|---|
Industry | Motorcycle helmet manufacturing |
Founded | 1986 in Marseilles, France |
Founder | André and Robert Teston |
Headquarters | Marseilles, France |
Parent | 2 Ride Holding [1] [2] |
Website |
shark-helmets |
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 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]
Company type | Privately held company |
---|---|
Industry | Motorcycle helmet manufacturing |
Founded | 1986 in Marseilles, France |
Founder | André and Robert Teston |
Headquarters | Marseilles, France |
Parent | 2 Ride Holding [1] [2] |
Website |
shark-helmets |
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 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]