PROTECTION
Boody was soon joined by fellow flat tracker and road racer Skip Aksland. Michio Arai jokingly referred to Aksland as “a small guy with a big mouth” because of the invaluable way in which the fast Californian spread the word throughout the paddock about Arai’s protective qualities.
Michio Arai understood the value of a high-speed, high-stakes laboratory. “Racing is dangerous,” he acknowledged. “But we can learn about the realities of crashing, because there are many accidents. We can learn about finding improvements.”
Racing guided the evolution of Arai helmets, first and foremost the shape of the shell. “We wanted our helmet to be comfortable, to feel better, for protection,” explained Michio Arai. “What we got was a shape that looks the same as an egg. “To me, nature is an example. I always want to make a helmet that is smooth. When I designed a shell, if it didn’t follow the basic contour of my head, I didn’t feel comfortable. We didn’t design the helmet to take the shape of an egg, but I believe this is correct.”
Aksland fell off his motorcycle at Daytona International Speedway, Michio Arai recalled. “Skip stood up and said, ‘Did you see me? Last time I crashed, my bell was ringing for weeks.’ After that, everybody wanted to wear my helmet.” Arai signed a number of rising American stars, several of whom went on to national and international success, among them Mike Baldwin, Wes Cooley, and Freddie Spencer. The race for number one, both on and off the racetrack, had begun for Arai. In retrospect, racing was a crucial step for the company. “My father never thought of using racing for promotion,” admitted Michio Arai. “He enjoyed riding, but the difference between me and my father was that I liked to race. I liked to compete. I wanted to win.”
Replicating nature’s grace has its own challenges. “Maintaining this shape with a fiberglass shell while meeting recent standards is really difficult,” admitted Michio Arai, “because the requirements for those standards can vary from one location on the helmet to another.”
We wanted our helmet to be comfortable, to feel better, for protection.
ARAI INTERIOR Did you know that the interior of an Arai helmet is installed entirely by hand? Small details like the interior ventilation ducts are designed with soft materials and devel- oped from Arai’s experiences in the harsh environment of racing. This feedback goes directly into the retail helmets that come off the same production line as the helmets for the racers.
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