Production has started at a Bahrain-based helmet factory that will outfit Formula One champions.

Bell Racing Helmets factory is based in Sakhir, part of a one million-sq-m plot of land earmarked for the development by the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Chief executive Martine Kindt Cohen told the GDN yesterday (April 19) that production had started but that the factory was not fully operational yet.

“The opening isn’t scheduled for this week, we will do it a little later when the factory is fully operational,” she said.

“We’re still in a transit period as some of the machines are still arriving from other locations.

“I am hoping by September we should have 100 to 120 staff. The design and research team are already here.

“We have two types of production, so one is already here and the other still has to come to Bahrain.

“The first Bahrain-produced helmet has already been manufactured, but designing involves a whole team and there is research development, so that might take a little longer than that.

“It depends on the standard and what is required to change, but the next helmet we come up with will be a Bahraini helmet for sure.”

She said current Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton was testing out their helmets, which were also worn by former champion Kimi Räikkönen.

“We have Ferrari with Kimi Räikkönen, we have the Lotus team with both drivers (Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado) and test drivers (Jolyon Palmer, Carmen Jorda and Adderly Fong),” she added.

“At Ferrari, we have all spare drivers and GT drivers. We also have Marcus Ericsson.

“We have Lewis Hamilton – I mean, that’s really nice. He’s been trying the helmet for two or three races – he was using it in the qualifying session on Saturday (April 18).

“They all use the same helmet, except that it’s personalised for them.

“The fitting is done in the way they feel comfortable, according to their requirements.

Particularities

“Each and every one of them has their small particularities – one will be focused on visibility, the other on noise, the other on comfort, one on aerodynamics – so it’s up to us to make them feel good.

“They usually operate with three helmets per race.”

The GDN earlier reported that up to 30,000 racing helmets will be made in Bahrain every year once the factory starts production. - TradeArabia News Service