MORE THAN leathers and the bike, helmet design is the thing gives a racer a unique identity on track.
Staying safe while riding dictates donning a fairly homogenised wardrobe and while different sponsors and colours mean leathers, boots and gloves are all different, none of them shout about the rider underneath like a helmet does.
A helmet and its design is the thing that really conveys a rider’s personality. In a race it acts as a beacon, an anchor point – you probably know racers by their helmets as much as you know what team they ride for and over time certain racers’ helmet designs, even the shape of the helmet, visor and vents, become as familiar as faces.
So, here are our 10 of the greatest helmet designs ever – the lids that just look so damn good.
10. Steve Hislop
HIZZY'S PINK and blue lid might not be the most sophisticated of designs but it’s eye catching and memorable where lots of helmets designs are fancy, fussy and forgetable.
9. Ben Bostrom
WHEN BEN Bostrom cam to Europe from the US to race for Ducati in World Superbikes at the turn of the century, he brought plenty of flamboyant style with him and his helmet design was no exception.
8. Valentino Rossi
ROSSI IS never short of a good helmet design or several and throughout the years he’s had loads, but we particularly like this fun design from Mugello in 2008.
7. Wayne Rainey
RAINEY'S LID art might not be the most intricate, but it’s old-school clean and carries fag brand sponsorship, which as we all know, makes it really cool.
6. Daijiro Kato
THE LATE Daijiro Kato is one of many Japanese riders to sport trick looking lids who could have made it to this list but we like how bright and aggressive his Shoei looks, and like him – it looks fast here at the Czech GP in 2002.
5. Colin Edwards
THE TEXAS Tornado might have also rocked a blue and red lid, but this design from 2000 (this shot comes from the South African WSBK round at Kyalami) is the race rep we wanted to wear at the start of the new millenium.
4. Andrea Iannone
HERE'S ANOTHER humerous helmet from an Italian rider. This time it’s Andrea Iannone helmet that references the seagull he hit as he came over Phillip Island’s Lukey Heights during the 2015 Austrailian GP.
3. Randy Mamola
A STYLISH helmet for a stylish rider.
2. Freddie Spencer
FREDDIE Spencer also had a clean, classy helmet design – one that Arai still make a replica of today. Here he is at the German GP in 1987.
1. Shinya Nakano
IF AN ICONIC helmet design is meant to be vivid, striking and something that immediately tells you who the rider is then Shinya Nakano’s eye popping paint wins hands down.
