End of 2015 the Snell rating for the helmet has been renewed, and many helmets makers start releasing their new lineup this spring.
My helmet is Snell M2005, and is still good for 5 more years for the autocrossing, however it is 3 years old, and with it being M-rating for the motorcycle, I decided to get new helmet with SA2015 rating for 4 wheel motorsports.
After trying out a few available options from Bell, I found that I have to spend for their mid-range helmets to have the right size for me. At the price point, I could get Arai helmets from Japan with help from my friend down there.
I found this shop in Japan where they could ship the helmet to the US, with no sales tax.
http://www.alex-motorsports.co.jp
I was told Arai GP-5w is back ordered and it will be 2 months of wait time but ended up the helmet was delivered within a month or so!
I picked Size Small after measuring my head being just right in between small and medium. It is very tight, but I think after wearing it for a few events, it will wear in and fit better.
This helmet is very light and even though it’s being tight, it is also comfortable. GP-5W is their Entry line helmet for Arai with wider eye opening for better view (Many automotive racing helmets have narrow eye opening). So far I wore it for 5 min or so, and I love it. I’ll probably wear it for 20-30 min period to get used to it before our first event this weekend!
