AGV (helmet manufacturer)

Products

AGV makes a range of motorcycle helmets, including full-face racing, sport, touring and off-road models to modular helmets, urban jet helmets and open-face cruiser designs, using various materials including carbon fiber, aramid, fiberglass, and thermoplastics.

Current AGV helmets are developed with an integrated technical development and construction approach the company calls the AGV Extreme Safety protocol, which AGV says has measurable benefits.

History

AGV was founded in 1947 by Gino Amisano (1920–2009). The company name is the initials for Amisano Gino Valenza, Amisano's name and Valenza, the place the company was based. The AGV logo is the initials in a helmet shape, in the colors of the Italian flag.

AGV initially made leather seats and motorcycle saddles, adding leather motorcycle helmets a year later. Helmet production came to the fore for AGV when they started making fiberglass helmets in 1954. This was when AGV began making sponsorship deals with motorcycle racers including Kenny Roberts, Barry Sheene, Johnny Cecotto, Steve Baker, Angel Nieto, Giacomo Agostini, and Valentino Rossi.

In 1958 AGV began hanging advertising banners around the most-photographed track bends.

AGV began sponsoring Formula One drivers such as Niki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi, Keke Rosberg, and Nelson Piquet in the early seventies.

AGV Helmets was purchased by Italian sportswear and equipment company Dainese in July 2007. Dainese was acquired by Investcorp of Bahrain for €130 million in 2014 and by The Carlyle Group in 2022. In 2017, AGV began selling its first full-carbon modular helmet.

Niki Lauda

During the 1976 German Grand Prix Formula 1 race at Nürburgring, the car of Niki Lauda (1949–2019) suddenly made a right turn and crashed into rocks. Lauda lost his AGV helmet and was belted in the car while the car and gasoline on the ground caught fire. The head mask was thinner in the areas usually covered by the helmet. Lauda was severely burnt especially on one side of his head. He survived the burns, with hurt lungs and broken bones.

In 2006 Lauda explained in an interview, that previously he always wore a helmet from Bell, but for the 1976 season AGV had developed a new more lightweight and comfortable helmet and Lauda tested it. The AGV helmet fitted too loosely. He believes that the Bell helmet would not have flown away.

Lauda was awarded a high compensation payment from AGV.

Research and innovations

• 1954 — First Italian fiberglass crash helmet
• 1956 — First Jet crash helmet
• 1958 — First company to use trackside advertising
• 1967 — First Italian full-face helmet
• 1977 — AGV sponsors the first racetrack Mobile Clinic
• 2007 — AGV Extreme Standards integrated technical design and construction approach developed
• 2012 — Begins selling first Extreme Standards helmets
• 2017 – AGV Sportmodular, the first full-carbon sport modular helmet

Sponsorships

AGV sponsors the following:

MotoGP

• ITA Marco Bezzecchi
• ITA Franco Morbidelli
• ESP Joan Mir
• ITA Luca Marini

Moto2

• ITA Lorenzo Baldassarri
• ITA Nicolò Bulega

Moto3

• ITA Andrea Migno
• ITA Niccolò Antonelli
• ITA Celestino Vietti Ramus
• ITA Dennis Foggia
• ARG Gabriel Rodrigo

WSBK/ Supersport

• ITA Gabriele Ruiu

BSB

• UK James Hillier
• UK Ryan Vickers
• UK Dan Linfoot

Motard

• FRA Thomas Chareyre

Legends

• Niki Lauda
• Guy Martin
• Marco Lucchinelli
• Giacomo Agostini
• Troy Corser
• Manuel Poggiali
• Loris Capirossi
• Valentino Rossi

References

References

1. (5 November 2014). "Investcorp buys protective clothing maker Dainese for $163 million". Reuters.
2. "AGV Product Range".
3. (7 February 2019). "AGV and Valentino Rossi Present the Pista GP R 2019 Winter Test Helmet".
4. (1 February 2019). "Dainese Group and Sky Racing Team VR46 together for the 2019 Season".
5. "AGV About Us".
6. "AGV X3000".
7. (19 December 2012). "AGV e Gino Amisano in mostra a Valenza". Moto.it.
8. (25 July 2017). "Dainese e AGV: 115 anni di passione (vol. 2)". Motociclismo.
9. Michael Schmidt: [https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/niki-lauda-nuerburgring-crash-1976/ Niki Lauda über Nürburgring-Unfall : "Falle in ein Loch und denke, ich sterbe"] auto-motor-und-sport.de, 22 August 2016, retrieved 21 October 2019. (German)
10. [[:de:Niki Lauda. Niki Lauda]] and refers to "Mike Doodson für F150: Formel 1: 50 goldene Jahre. Band III. 1999" (German)
11. "Athletes - AGV".
12. (15 August 2007). "Dainese buy helmet brand AGV". Visor Down.
13. "AGV Helmets History".
14. (10 July 2018). "A NEW BREED AGV Sportmodular Carbon Helmet Review: In a Class of Its Own".
15. (7 November 2017). "AGV unveil the fully-carbon flip front SportModular helmet: In a Class of Its Own".