A carbon fibre pipe, suspension and oversized brakes are all essential to the success of Red Bull’s MX riders James Stewart, Cole Seely and Andrew Short, and yet nothing is as important to these riders as the helmets they wear.
Not only can these hi-tech lids potentially save the lives of our riders, they also reflect each and every rider’s personal taste.
Nowadays, the majority of athletes’ helmets are based on stock graphics with some extra stickers and paint applied to personalise them. But these designs still speak volumes about the riders wearing them.
We sat down with five of Red Bull’s fastest AMA Supercross riders to ask them why their helmets look the way they do. Here’s what they had to say:
Garth Milan/Red Bull Content PoolJames Stewart: “My Bell helmet is based on a production model, but the thing that really makes it different and special in my eyes is simply having the Red Bull logo everywhere. I have a few customised helmets in the trailer, which I'll choose from to match the gear I'm wearing that night. But they all have the bulls and sun on them, and there aren’t a lot of people who earn the right to wear those on their helmet. That’s pretty cool and I definitely don’t take it for granted, which is why I leave it nice and clean with no other stickers or anything.”
Garth Milan/Red Bull Content PoolKyle Regal: “One look at my helmet will tell you that I get some good use out of it. However, my Arai always keeps me safe. I like the simple and clean look of the paint job, and of course, having the Red Bull logo on the sides and the visor really finishes it off. This weekend I’m running the GoPro camera on top, too, which should make for some cool footage of the race.”
Garth Milan/Red Bull Content PoolMike Alessi: “I’ve been wearing the Airoh helmet for a while now, and I really like it because it is so incredibly lightweight, but still keeps me safe out there. The graphics on this one are basically how it comes from the dealer, but I had the Red Bull logos added. After that, I customised it with a few stickers from my sponsors, such as Rockwell and Skin Industries. And that’s it - time to go racing!”
Garth Milan/Red Bull Content PoolAndrew Short: “The graphics on the Fly helmets are pretty cool this year, so my helmet didn’t really need much to make me like it. I just added stickers from my various sponsors and I was ready to race. It’s definitely a pretty crazy paint job, but it stands out and makes me easily identifiable, so that’s cool.”
Garth Milan/Red Bull Content PoolCole Seely: “I’m pretty lucky in the helmet department: my team’s title-sponsor designs some of the coolest ones out there. Believe it or not, this version is basically for sale to anyone, only without the addition of the Red Bull logos. I think that's great. A few years ago, it would have cost thousands to get something custom-made like this.”
WANT MORE?
- Official AMA Supercross website at amasupercross.com
- Red Bull rider James Stewart's official website at js7.com
- News and interviews from the latest AMA Supercross race in Seattle
James talks about his moto compound in the upcoming MX vs. ATV Alive game:
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