FIM mandates MotoGP-standard helmets for public

- New MotoGP helmet standards to exceed Snell and ECE rating.

- Same spec helmet must be available to the public to gain approval. 

- Could lead to increased safety standards. 

The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), responsible for certifying helmets in MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 has introduced a new safety standard starting this year.  

This new FIM standard will raise the bar in helmet safety and is expected to exceed SNELL and ECE ratings. Why is this so important to us motorcyclists? While every MotoGP helmet should meet this new standard, the mandate also states that the exact same helmet must be available to the public to be approved. This move comes after FIM found irregularities in safety tests results for various helmet manufacturers. 

The helmet manufacturer will require sending in ten examples of every size to the FIM for extensive testing. FIM says that testing each shell size will ensure precise results and safer helmets. While exact details are currently unknown, the helmet will go through a series of high and low speed head-on and side impacts. Each helmet will also come with a FIM Homologation Label that will uniquely identify the helmet with a tracking tool which will provide information about the features of the helmet and validity of homologation. 

We expect the MotoGP-spec helmets to be positioned a step above the current top-of-the-line helmets and undoubtedly cost a premium. The current safety-standards certify helmets using only a single shell size. The new FIM standard tests every available size, which we hope will force the other standards like DOT, ECE and Snell to start doing the same. In effect, it might help make helmets safer overall, as it isn’t mandatory for small sized shells to undergo testing so far.