Shark Grand Prix de France obliges, Johann Zarco wanted to pay homage to his national event by displaying a personalized decoration of his Shark Race-R Pro GP FIM Carbon helmet.
In addition to the national colors, we find all the themes that are dear to him, from the chakras to the eye, decorated with calligraphed French Grand Prix mentions, all on an unpainted background which reveals the carbon.
Saturday morning, at the end of FP3 during which Johann Zarco broke the absolute circuit record, we followed the journey of this helmet, once removed from the champion's head...
10:40 a.m.: The flag is waved. Johann Zarco finishes his lap then jumps off his bike for a flag to flag attempt. After greeting the crowd and receiving applause from his team, he returns to his box, removes his sweaty helmet and begins his debriefing.
During this, the Shark helmet is quickly picked up to be taken to the French brand's Racing Service, located in the MotoGP paddock.
At 10:50 a.m., the tear off is removed as well as the sweat pad, the small piece of textile intended to absorb sweat from the forehead. A quick wash then the helmet is left to dry, between 10 and 15 minutes.
Once dry, the helmet is washed to remove stuck insects and other dirt.
The visor is removed then checked.
The fixings are checked and adjusted.
A visor is given, new or already used depending on its condition.
A tear off is given for the next sessions. Johann usually uses just one, but two for racing.
The last operation consists of replacing a new Sweat Pad.
11:20 a.m.: a final check then the helmet is put in its transport bag, duly labeled to indicate which visor is fitted. Here at Le Mans, Johann has two examples of his specially decorated helmet. During a race weekend, he generally has four helmets at his disposal, equipped differently.
The helmet will be taken back to the box by a member of the Pramac team, because in the Racing Service, other helmets are already waiting, starting with that of Miguel Oliveira...
