A HISTORY OF HELMETS: FROM LEATHER LIDS TO CARBON FIBRE SKULL-SAVING CROWNS
In the world of motorsport and motorcycling, helmets are the unsung heroes. They’ve saved countless lives, evolved with racing tech, and even become style icons in their own right. But how did we get from flimsy leather caps to the advanced carbon fibre cocoons of today? Let’s take a high-speed trip through the history of helmets - and dig into the key differences between motorcycle and car racing helmets while we’re at it. Before safety regulations, there was… bravado. In the early 20th century, racers, whether on two wheels or four, wore basic leather skullcaps. They weren’t designed to absorb impact; their main purpose was to keep hair out of the eyes and offer some abrasion resistance during a crash. Comfort and aerodynamics were afterthoughts. Safety? Optional. It wasn’t until the 1930s that the first real crash helmets started to appear. These were still leather-based but began to include a hard shell, often made of cork or pressed cardboard, with a cloth or leather cover. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. They basically saved skin and hair, but concussions were still a real thing.
World War II pushed protective tech forward in many areas, and by the 1950s, helmets began to adopt hard shells made from fibreglass. Motorcycle Grand Prix racing made helmets mandatory in 1949, and Formula One followed suit in 1952. These early lids were open-faced and often paired with goggles. Again, better than nothing, but hardly bulletproof. In 1956, Professor Eric Gardner and the British Standards Institute developed the first real crash helmet standard, and Snell Memorial Foundation followed shortly after in the U.S., named after racer Pete Snell, who died in a helmet-related accident in 1956. Safety was becoming science. The full-face helmet debuted in the late 1960s and changed everything. Bell Helmets was one of the pioneers, introducing the Bell Star, a design that became the blueprint for all helmets to follow. Riders and drivers now had chin protection, integrated visors, and better aerodynamics.
For motorcycle riders, especially in high-speed disciplines like MotoGP and road racing, the full-face helmet quickly became essential. For car racers, it added an extra layer of fire protection and debris shielding. The shift also allowed more creative helmet designs, and with that came the rise of personal liveries, driver branding, and iconic looks.
Here’s where things get interesting. While motorcycle and car helmets may look similar from a distance, they serve very different purposes - and are built accordingly.
Motorcycle Helmets:
Designed for impact protection and abrasion resistance
Must deal with windblast, so aerodynamics are crucial
Prioritise ventilation to keep riders cool in full gear
Lighter construction due to neck strain at high speeds
Often certified to ECE, DOT, and/or Snell M standards
Visors are usually wider for greater peripheral vision
Car Racing Helmets:
Prioritise fire resistance (FIA 8859-2015 and 8860-2018 standards)
Built to withstand blunt impact inside a confined cockpit
Features built-in comms, hydration tubes, and HANS device mounting points
Visors are smaller (you don’t need to check your blind spot at 300 km/h in F1)
Heavier and more reinforced around the base and sides
Less ventilation - too much airflow can feed flames in case of fire
In short: a MotoGP rider wouldn’t survive in a car helmet, and a Formula One driver would boil in a bike lid.
Fast forward to the 2000s, and helmet tech has gone fully futuristic. Carbon fibre and Kevlar are now standard materials, offering lightweight strength that would’ve seemed like sci-fi 50 years ago. Multi-density EPS liners help manage energy from different impact speeds, and 3D scanning allows for custom-fitted interiors. In motorsport, helmets are crash-tested to brutal standards, dropped from heights, slammed with anvils, exposed to fire, and even pressurised to simulate cockpit forces. For elite series like Formula One and MotoGP, helmet manufacturers work with drivers and riders to fine-tune weight, airflow, and pressure balance.
Let’s be honest, part of the magic of a helmet is how cool it looks. From Barry Sheene’s Union Jack to Valentino Rossi’s fluorescent chaos, from James Hunt’s no-nonsense black to Lewis Hamilton’s blinged-out metallic fades, helmets have become rolling canvases. They reflect personality, legacy, and national pride. Do you wear a helmet? Is it right for the job? Let us know what you use to save your noggin from the unthinkable…
Take a look at the YouTube video from the Motochocolate crew that shows a brief visual history of bike helmets, which are pretty much the same for automotive use: The history of the evolution of motorcycle helmets. | Motochocolate
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