[RideApart] - Video - Watch Bell Give a Race Star FLEX Helmet an Autopsy

[Ninjette Newsbot]

Video - Watch Bell Give a Race Star FLEX Helmet an Autopsy

Back in August, MotoAmerica racer Hayden Gillam had a really nasty get-off at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Coming into a corner a little too hot, Gillam careened off the track into the outfield where he was thrown off his Suzuki and into a tire wall. During his long tumble, Gillam hit his head three times – once on the initial impact, once on the rebound, and the third time when he went head first into the tires. A few hours after the crash he walked out of the hospital fit as a fiddle thanks largely to his high-tech helmet.

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As an official Bell Ambassador, which is Bell's fancy term for a spokesperson, Gillam was outfitted with a Bell Race Star FLEX for his race dahnere Picksburg (shout out to my yinzers) and it probably saved his life. The middle child of the high-end Star family of helmets, the Race Star is equipped with Bell's patented FLEX impact absorbing system to give a rider extra protection in the event of a crash. That FLEX liner definitely did its job in Gillam's case, as evidenced by his short hospital stay and his quick return to the race circuit.


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After Gillam's crash, Bell got their hands on his battered Race Star and gave it a thorough autopsy. For our edification, Bell filmed the post-mortem to show us exactly how the FLEX system works and how it saved Gillam's life. It's a pretty fascinating video all told. It starts with a little interview of Gillam complete with some cringeworthy footage of his crash, then moves on to a decent explanation of the FLEX system by a Bell tech. It's only a couple minutes long, so I highly recommend you check it out if you're interested in how helmets are made and how they protect your brains.

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