Jerryland: Five Questions with Bruce Porter

by Jerry Bernardo

For 30 years Bruce Porter was known as ‘the Arai guy’. His knowledge of the #1 piece of safety equipment for racers was second to none.

JB: I know you well enough to know it will kill you to keep these answers to a minimum You began your career in sales, but it was when you hooked up with Sammy Tanner and began selling Arai helmets that things really took off for you. How important was Arai’s quality when it came to filling shops with the finest lids?

BP: Quality is the cornerstone of an Arai helmet. But we could never figure out how to make one talk. Putting the shop owner and the parts manager into an Arai was key to my success. Those two guys are riders. They've worn poor fitting helmets for years. Suddenly they're wearing the most comfortable helmet ever. They tell everyone.

JB: The number one item anyone riding should wear in my opinion is a helmet. How do you feel when you see rider introductions and a pro rolls around the track waving to the fans without a lid on?

BP: It's all good until something goes wrong. The insurance carriers cringe. Children are confused.

JB: Back in the day there were only a handful of good motorcycle helmets for sale. Now it seems everyone has their own branded lid. Are the Snell and DOT safety requirements still covering our asses even if a helmet goes for a lower price?

BP: I'm a believer in Snell quality helmets. But when it comes to certification standards and energy management, retail price is not a variable. The helmet either passes the standard's requirements or it doesn't.

JB: A helmet shell is designed to flex upon impact Tell us about the famed high-speed crash at Daytona that road racer Ben Bostrom had. I believe he slapped it into the asphalt at 180 mph. He showed you his post-crash helmet and it brought a tear to your eye.

BP: That was at the end of 1998. Ben had won the AMA Superbike Championship. It was December and Dunlop was having their annual winter pre-Daytona test. Ben suffered a rear tire failure between turns 3 and 4. He went down at just over 190 mph. Huge high side. He landed hard on his back and the back of his helmet. Looking at the photos of the helmet serves as a perfect visual testimony of the importance of shell strength AND flexibility. And over 50% of the helmet's EPS liner thickness was used in the initial impact. I still have the helmet.

JB: Of your many years working within the industry, is there one story you can share that stands out as your personal most memorable moment?

BP: Well, I likely have at least one book worth of stories still on board. Statute of limitations has expired on most. However, I think that I attended almost thirty Daytona 200 events, beginning in 1986. Arai was the title sponsor of the 200 for over twenty years. As the title sponsor, winning the 200 proved to be almost impossible.  It only happened twice on my watch. First in 1988, with my pal Kevin Schwantz, as his road race career headed for the moon. And then again in 2002, with the late Nicky Hayden, at the start of his AMA Superbike Championship season. I'm beyond proud to say that I brought Nicky and his brothers and sisters into the Arai family of sponsored racers when Nicky was only 11 years old. By 2002 I had been handling podium duties at the completion of the Daytona 200 for several years, which was a huge honor for me. But standing on the podium at Daytona and presenting Nicky Hayden with the winner's trophy, is right at the top of my personal experiences during my career at Arai. Thanks for asking!