Arai Helmets is a family-owned company and, for more than 70 years and three generations, has been creating some of the best, most trusted helmets in the motorcycle industry. But, this year, the company is celebrating its 40th Anniversary with the IOM TT.
Or, as this writer sees it, one of the most symbiotic relationships in motorcycle racing.
The company will celebrate 40 years of its helmets protecting riders on the 107th staging of the event. But when the 'Arai' logo was first seen ripping around the Mountain Course, it was impossible to know that the rider sporting it would go on to become the most successful, best-known road racer of all time—Joey Dunlop.
It's undeniable that Arai has saved the lives of countless riders around the IOM, and it's the brand so many choose to protect their noggins. But, as much as Arai is indispensable to road racers, the manufacturer owes much of its success to the TT and its riders. Because 40 years of seeing the 'Arai' logo at the TT is 40 years of R&D for the brand.
It's used everything it learned from the countless TT crashes to continuously make small improvements to the strong shell it's renowned for.
Arai once sponsored some of the biggest names in MotoGP but has all but disappeared from the class since the days of Kevin Schwantz and Mick Doohan. At the IOM TT, however, it's as big a name as ever, and the brand that carries the most weight around the mountain course, I would argue. Almost every member of the Dunlop dynasty wore Arai, bar William. Many of the other big names in the sport including, Josh Brookes, Philip McCallen, and Ian Hutchinson wear the brand, too.
The biggest names in road racing are all wearing your helmets around the most dangerous circuit in history. I don't think there's a better show of confidence in a brand, making the relationship between Arai and the TT one of the most symbiotic in racing.
In honor of the 40-year relationship between Arai and the TT, Akihito Arai will give the starting signal to riders on the first day of racing on Saturday, June 1st. Arai also continued its 15-year tradition of releasing a unique TT-designed helmet, which took the form of the 2024 RX-7V EVO Limited Edition Isle of Man TT helmet this year.
Michio Arai, CEO of Arai Helmet, had this to say,
The Isle of Man TT has been a special place for Arai since the 1980s, and we are extremely proud to be a key partner four decades later. The unique challenges presented by the TT are like no other race in the world, and it is an honor for us that so many of the world's best road racers choose Arai for their protection.
Continue getting hyped up for the best week of two-wheeled racing action with Arai's TT anniversary video 'Behind the Visor', which the manufacturer will release on its Youtube channel on May 31st.
