An undisputed world leader in automobile racing helmets, Bell Helmets was founded in 1954 by Roy Richter, a passionate racer, who perceived the need for safety in the auto racing field and began making products to serve that need. The company started by manufacturing protective headgear for auto racing and moved to the leading edge of helmet in 1957, introducing the use of a non-resilient polystyrene liner. Later Bell developed the first full-face helmet, the Star. Thanks to these innovations the company has quickly earned the reputation throughout the world for providing state-of-the-art helmets. In addition to automotive helmets, Bell also began making helmets for the bicycle and motorcycle industry, marine racing, parachute jumping, and many other high-risk activities where head protection was needed. Since the 1980's, Bell has pioneered an outstanding number of innovations in all areas of modern helmet: lightweight composite material shells, ventilation systems, advanced aerodynamic designs, fog-free shields, and the list is very long. Now, the company continues producing cutting-edge racing helmets using the latest equipment and technologies.