Mick Doohan to ride lap of honour with Nicky Hayden, Cal Crutchlow and Ian Hutchinson

Arai and the Isle of Man TT have a long history together; the Arai Race Service has been a presence in the TT paddock, serving both racers and Arai-wearing TT fans, since 1984 and an illustrious list of TT winners including Joey Dunlop, Ian Hutchinson, Steve Plater and Bruce Anstey all wore Arai to victory. Arai also supports the TT with sponsorship – which includes signage around the course, suits for the marshalls and helmets for the travelling marshalls – and Arai remains the helmet chosen by the majority of TT riders to deliver comfort, dependability and sheer quality in extreme conditions.

The 37.73 mile Mountain Circuit, first used in 1911 celebrates its centenary this year and as part of a TT helmet trilogy, started in 2010, Arai have now released the second in the series. As with the first edition Italian designer Aldo Drudi has designed the 2011 Isle of Man TT RX-7 GP; his inspiration was, naturally ‘100 years of the Mountain Course’ with the distance and all the names of the famous bends prominently present on both sides of the helmet. Orange, white and blue are the dominant colours, together with the official TT logo and the world famous three-legged triskelion (Three Legs of Man) symbol. The RX-7 GP 2011 TT Series will be available from Arai Five Star dealer Crossan Motorcycles on the Isle of Man during TT fortnight and a commission on each helmet sold will go to the TT organisers – visit http://www.thevisorshop.com for details on how to pre-order. Also, visit http://www.araihelmet-europe.com where the 2011 series TT RX-7 GP has its own mini-website.

Every year a very special guest comes to the Isle of Man TT to ride a lap of the course and for 2011 Mick Doohan will be on the island for four days, taking part in various events as well as riding the Arai Lap of Honour. Doohan is best known around the world as five times MotoGP World Champion riding for Honda (1994-1998) and during his outstanding career he always wore and trusted Arai.

Aldo Drudi has also crafted a stunning Arai RX-7 GP Doohan/TT helmet to mark this special occasion in white, black and red incorporating the TT logo, plus triskelion details and the essence of Doohan’s original paintwork – the famous red, blue and white striped design which has become so iconic. The Arai Doohan/TT RX-7 GP will be available on an order-only basis directly from any Arai Five Star dealer.

Doohan will be on the Isle of Man the evening of Tuesday 7th June through to Friday 10th, and taking part in signing sessions as and when time allows, plus an interview/Q&A session on the Arai Race Service on the Thursday afternoon; he’ll also be starting the Poker Stars Senior race on Friday.

Nicky Hayden will also be on the Island together with fellow MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow, and these two current racing stars will be joined by Mick and TT master Ian Hutchinson for signing sessions and all four will ride in the Arai parade lap on Wednesday, 8th June at 4.45pm.

Also on Wednesday at 12.30pm there will be a short Arai press conference with Cal, Nicky, Mick and Ian in the TT VIP Hospitality Suite; this event will also mark the launch of Mick’s RX-7 GP Doohan/TT helmet.

Ian Hutchinson made history in 2010 by winning five TTs in a week but this year will have to console himself with spectating as he still recuperates from injury. On Wednesday 1st June Ian will open the new Arai suite of the Joey Dunlop Foundation at Bradden Bridge House, which consists of three self-contained disabled accessible apartments, each offering luxury self-catering accommodation for anyone with special needs. At the request of Mrs Dunlop, the Charity makes a special welcome to children and young adults.

As for the racing itself? Following the family tradition Michael and William Dunlop will be looking for TT victories in Arai while top TT competitors Keith Amor and Garry Johnson will fittingly be racing in the 2011 Arai TT series RX-7 GP. Bruce Anstey will be wearing the exotic and state of the art carbon fibre Arai RX-7 RC. The £2099 RX-7 RC is based on the technology used for the GP-6 RC Formula 1 car-racing helmet and consists of an extremely stiff and light carbon fibre outer shell, reinforced with Arai’s Peripherally Belted construction. It takes Arai’s most experienced and skilled craftsmen a whole working day to produce each shell, working only by hand; only 300 can be made a year.

British Supersport team Centurion racing will be making its debut on Mona’s isle in 2011, with Dan Cooper riding a Triumph 675 Daytona in the Supersport class and a Honda Fireblade in the Superstock and Senior TT races. Racing in support of Help For Heroes Dan’s RX-7 GP has been supplied by Arai and will feature a one-off design by RichArt showing both the H4H and IOM TT logos. Team Principal Paul Rees, who spent 20 years in Her Majesty’s Royal Marine Commandos, was given permission to have the bikes carry the H4H logos in order to encourage the public to be more aware of this charity that supports the UK’s Armed Forces.

So the 2011 TT looks to be a fantastic edition of this unique motorcycle race. Arai has long played a part in the TT’s history and is joining in the centenary celebrations of the Mountain Circuit with racing superstars, very special helmets and, as ever, a deep appreciation of the event itself. Come join the party!

For more information on the Arai range call on 01782 569800 or visit http://www.whyarai.co.uk