Miguel Oliveira visits Shark helmet factory in Portugal

Just a few weeks away from the Valencia test where he will have his first contact with the Suter Mahindra machine with which he will line up in Moto3 class of the 2013 MotoGP World Championship, Miguel Oliveira paid a visit to his official helmet supplier’s production unit in Portugal.

At the factory, in which Shark produces thermo-plastic injected helmets, the only Portuguese rider on the MotoGP grid could have a look at every different stage of the production of a helmet, from the arrival of the raw material, to the R&D department, decoration, assembly, quality control and safety tests. The young Portuguese even took the opportunity to do a hands-on experience at decorating one of the helmets.

Miguel Oliveira “I’ve always been the one taking care of my helmets until I got to MotoGP; that’s why I already had a very good idea about how they are made and all their safety components, but witnessing how they are made is a very interesting experience. I was also quite impressed with the safety test. The curb hitting simulation shows that a helmet is subjected to something like 200 Gs during ten milliseconds, and that’s brutal. I also enjoyed decorating one of the helmets, I just don’t know if it will pass quality control. But if it does and if someone wants to get it, you just have to search for the one which isn’t totally perfect!”

Remo Ventura, General Director for Shark Portugal, a branch of the international brand which exports a good part of its production to the entire world and made 11 million Euros in sales last year, was the guide of the tour. At end he stressed the relevance of having a Portuguese rider in Shark list of bikers.

“For us, the riders are not only people who use our products on the track and on the streets. They are much more than that; they are partners with whom we develop our helmets and, at the same time, they are our ambassadors. It’s very important for us to have a rider like Miguel in the MotoGP championship, not only at a national level, but also at an international one. Each of our riders represents a great growth potential for the brand in all markets and our intention is to have the brand and the rider taking full advantage of that. I hope we will be able to see Miguel and his Shark helmet several times on the podium this year,” said Remo Ventura, the man in charge of the production of 1,500 to 1,700 helmets a day in Portuguese Shark unit.

Source: Miguel Oliveira Official Website