Bell Sports Inc.

Bell Sports Inc., a division of Easton-Bell Sports, Inc., is a manufacturer of bicycle helmets. Easton-Bell also owns Bell Racing Company, which makes helmets for auto racing, and Bell Powersports, which makes motorcycle helmets. Easton-Bell Sports, Inc. also owns the Riddell football helmet and Giro bicycle helmet brands.

Bell Racing is headquartered in Rantoul, Illinois, with manufacturing facilities at an industrial park which was formerly Chanute Air Force Base. Bell Racing Europe, an independent company that uses the Bell mark under license, is headquartered in Saintes, near Brussels, Belgium.

History

The company started in 1923 as Bell Auto Parts in Bell, California [cite web|url=http://www.bellbikehelmets.com/timeline.asp|title=Bell Sports Timeline] [cite web|url=http://www.bellracing.com/about_bell.asp?sec=aboutbell|title=About Bell Racing] . It produced its first race car helmets in 1954. The Bell Helmet Company was formed as a division of Bell Auto Parts in 1956. It introduced a bicycle helmet in 1975. In 1980 the company was merged with Riddell to form Bell-Riddell Inc. In 1991, Bell-Riddell's motorcycle division was sold and became Bell Helmets, Inc. The remaining company was renamed Bell Sports, Inc. In 1999, the auto racing division was sold and split into two separate companies called Bell Racing Company (North America) and Bell Racing Europe (Europe, Asia and Africa). Bell Sports reacquired Bell Helmets in 2002, creating Bell Powersports [cite web|url=http://www.bellsports.com/main/about/nov402.html|title=Bell Sports acquires Bell motorcycle helmets, forms new powersports division|date=2002-11-04] . In 2005, it reacquired Bell Racing Company [cite web|url=http://www.bellbikehelmets.com/press_release.asp?article=jan_7_05.html|title=Bell Sports Acquires Bell Auto Racing Division|date=2005-01-07] and was itself merged into Easton-Bell Sports, Inc. in 2006 [cite web|url=http://www.bellracing.com/newsdetail.asp?sec=whatsnew&catid=3&newsid=11|title=Easton And Bell Announce Merger|date=2006-02-07] . Bell Racing Europe remains an independent company, manufacturing motorsports helmets for applications including all-terrain vehicles, karting and Formula 1.

Public safety initiatives

Bell Sports has a long history of contributing to bicycle and wheel-related safety programs sponsored by Safe Kids USA and in 2004 began providing "Safe Kids Ready to Roll" kids to Safe Kids USA coalitions to aid them in public safety instruction. [Safe Kids USA. [http://www.usa.safekids.org/tier2_rl.cfm?folder_id=3123 SK Ready to Roll] usa.safekids.org. Retrieved 24/02/08.]

External links

* [http://www.bellsports.com Bell Sports USA Portal - Bicycle, Powersports and Racing portal]
* [http://www.bellracing.com Bell Racing (auto racing) site]
* [http://www.bellbikehelmets.com Bell Bicycle Helmets site]
* [http://www.bellpowersports.com Bell Powersports (motorcycle) site]
* [http://www.thebellstar.com Bell Star motorcycle helmet microsite]
* [http://www.bellbmx.com Bell BMX bicycle helmet microsite]
* [http://www.bellracing.info Bell Racing Europe corporate site]

References