FROM MOTORSPORT TO US AVIATION passing through the police force. Charles Leclerc’s helmet is profoundly different from that of aviators but they have in common the fact that they are branded Racing Force Group, the Italian company based in Ronco Scrivia (Genoa) world leader in the sector of safety components for motorsport. And who invented and patented the video camera system inside Formula1 helmets (and not only) which allows the live transmission of what the driver sees, giving spectators an immersive experience: now the goal is to bring this technology outside of motorsport, for example in skiing, where thanks to technology you could see exactly what an Olympic skier sees and experience his emotions live. 70% of Formula 1 drivers use Bell helmets, including Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, George Russell, Lando Norris; in the top class of the World Rally Championship, OMP products are used by over 50% of the drivers, including the reigning champion Kalle Rovanpera and the multiple world champion Sebastian Ogier.
The Group has also been an official FIA (Federation International de l’Automobile) partner since 2012 and boasts collaborations with major teams and manufacturers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Toyota Gazoo Racing and Hyundai Motorsport. Valentino Rossi himself (in the image in the box) has chosen to exclusively use OMP and Bell products for his new career in car racing. Racing Force has a mind-boggling CV, which over the last ten years has contributed to the conquest of over 80 FIA world titles. The Group’s product range includes OMP brand technical clothing and car components (coveralls, gloves, fireproof shoes and underwear, helmets, seats, seat belts, roll bars, steering wheels and fire extinguishers), Zeronoise audio-video communication systems , the Bell Racing Helmets and the Racing Spirit clothing line inspired by the world of motorsport.
“We are working hard to bring increasingly innovative products onto the market to further increase our presence in Motorsport, where there is still room to grow, as our numbers demonstrate – explains the current CEO and President Paolo Delprato (in the photo above ) – and in 2023 we launched the world’s first Wired Wireless helmet for Rally and in 2022 our Driver’s Eye entered Formula1. At the same time we launched diversification projects, which will bring important innovations between the end of this year and the beginning next year”. First of all, the production of carbon shells for US Air Force helmets. In fact, in 2022 the Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with LIFT Airborne Technologies for the production of carbon shells for the Next Generation Fixed-Wing Helmet, a helmet designed for American Top Guns, intended for military and civil applications. The expertise accumulated at the highest levels of racing safety has allowed the Group to bring the same know-how outside of sport, and helmets for SWAT teams and helmets for riot police are now also being developed. “All these growth projects are attracting strong interest from foreign investors, interested in investing in RFG”, explains Del Prato. Since 2022, the Driver’s Eye technology developed and produced by Racing Force Group has been officially introduced in Formula 1: it is the smallest existing camera for live image transmission, the latest evolution of which has a diameter of 8 mm and a weight of 1. 43 grams. The Driver’s Eye, produced by Zeronoise, offers the driver’s point of view, giving viewers the most immersive and dynamic racing experience. The history of the company begins in 1973 in Genoa when the Percivale brothers, driven by a strong passion for car racing, decided to found OMP Racing. Thanks to the high quality of its products and collaborations with drivers such as Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Gerhard Berger, Tommi Makinen, OMP quickly established itself throughout the world.
“In 2008 – says Delprato – with the family holding company SAYE we decided to acquire a share in the company and due to a series of events I found myself having to take on a position, that of managing director, which I had absolutely not thought about”. Then Delprato took a liking to it and began to reorganize the company which since 2014 has achieved one success after another, going from 13 million in revenues in 2013 to 62.6 in 2023, from 80 to over 550 employees from 35 different Nationality. It sells in 80 countries around the world and is based on three continents, with an export share of 90% of revenues, has three research and production centers (Ronco Scrivia, Pisa, Sakhir in Bahrain), four logistics hubs (Ronco Scrivia , Sakhir, Miami, Mooresville), six pro-shops (Ronco Scrivia, Sakhir, Indianapolis, Mooresville, Miami and San Diego). The Group’s factory in Bahrain is inside the Sakhir circuit, used for F1 races.
“In the last 10 years, we have updated our turnover records 9 times, excluding 2020 where due to Covid we had an 8% drop (compared to -50% of sporting events) and this year we aim to update the sales record again. Given the sales data for the first 4 months of 2024, I would say that we are in pole position to reach the goal – explains Del Prato – but to maintain this pace we must invest constantly and massively in research and development. and we are ordinarily close to an investment quota of 5% of turnover per year. And we have an extraordinary investment plan underway for 13 million for new production and logistics spaces both in Italy and in Bahrain.” The watchwords in Racing Force are safety and performance “We know that every Racing Force product, once put on the market, must save lives. This objective – adds Delprato – requires hard work and dedication, but everyone in Racing Force believes in it and we live for this.”
