I began racing with the OGK KABUTO FF-5 in the '07 season. We
riders entrust our lives to our helmets, so we're extremely particular
when choosing a helmet, but I've been able to concentrate on my
riding, even though I changed manufacturers. The most important
condition for me is that I must not be concerned by the presence of the helmet while l am running.   What I like about OGK KABUTO's FF-5 is the aerodynamics.

The helmet has a shape which does not
produce force in the lift direction, not only when I'm crouching down on the straightways, but even during cornering and braking, so I can keep my line of sight fixed while I'm running, and there is no strain on my neck. I also appreciate that the company responds immidiately to rider suggestions. I hope they will quickly reflect the opinions of racing riders, and steadily upgrade their general products as well.

What I focus on when choosing a helmet is safety and comfort. Safety is a matter of course, but a helmet is something which grips my head without a break for about 1 hour, and thus I am always concerned about the texture and feeling of the inside, the grip on my head, wind roar, and weight. With regard to the fit, in particular, I use one size tighter than that used by ordinary riders in order to lessen the feeling of weight, and thus the points which grip my head, and the points which allow my head to be free are crucial. OGK KABUTO products have a good fit, and let me concentrate on racing. I feel that   I won in the '06 Suzuka 8-hours thanks to the highly comfortable ventilation.

OGK KABUTO listens to the opinions of riders, going as far as accompanying us to machine testing, and thus I am grateful they are always working hard to improve their products. I think the best point about OGK KABUTO is that this stance is alive in their commercially available products.