Shark

Shark is a French motorcycle helmet manufacturer based in Marseille. Shark helmets are known for their safety and meet SHARP, DOT, ECE, and FIM standards. Though the company is primarily known as a racing helmet manufacturer, they also produce urban/street helmets for commuters. History Shark was founded in 1986 by brothers and former professional racers André and Robert Teston in Marseille, France. In 1990, Raymond Roche won the Superbike World Championship wearing a Shark helmet, which increased the brand's popularity. Shark's XRC helmet was featured in Motorrad in 1995 as the "best helmet of the year." By the end of the 1990s, Shark had opened a factory in Thailand; in 2002, they added one in Portugal. 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. In 2008, Eurazeo bought out the Teston brothers, giving the company a controlling interest of 57%. 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. That year, Perceva Capital became the controlling interest in the company, and nearly 60% of Shark's sales came from outside of France. In 2016, a factory opened in Normandy, and in 2017, Shark began branching out into outdoor sports after it acquired Lyonnais Cairn. 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. The company launched in the Philippines in 2019. 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. 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. Shark has sponsored the French Grand Prix every year between 2019 and 2022.