Why Do MotoGP™ Riders Use Tear-Offs?

The sight of a MotoGP™ rider lifting a hand to the helmet to remove a visor tear-off at high speed is spectacular yet not uncommon in MotoGP. So exactly why do MotoGP™ riders use tear-offs?

Helmet tear-offs are a highly important part of a MotoGP™ rider’s safety equipment, allowing them to rapidly and smoothly remove any moisture or debris, such as dust, dirt, oil, raindrops, rubber tyre particles, or indeed insects, from their visors. This ensures that they maintain clear vision, keeping them competitive and safe on track, allowing them to adapt and react quickly if their visor is dirty or wet.

MotoGP™ tear-offs often carry the rider’s race number (or the rider’s logo) and they can be stacked in multiple layers over the visor, with two to four tear-offs on top of each other, in case the rider needs to clear their view on several occasions on track during a session, qualifying run or a race.

Whilst helmet tear-offs are an effective MotoGP™ visor protection feature, these rider visibility tools do have to be used with caution. Riders must discard them thoughtfully - in areas where they quickly blow away from the path of other riders – whilst there are also calls to make biodegradable versions, in order to decrease plastic waste.

What Are MotoGP™ Helmet Tear-Offs?

The visor tear-offs used by MotoGP™ riders are thin, transparent plastic films layered over a helmet's visor. If the rider’s vision is being obstructed by dirtiness or moisture on the visor the rider can quickly pull away the tear-off with one hand, even when riding at high speeds, to clear their view and allow them to continue riding without any further distraction.

The design and characteristics of the tear-offs allow for quick removal without compromising safety or requiring a pit stop. The rider can act quickly to clear their line of sight, with the action of pulling the tear-off away and discarding it taking a matter of seconds.

Modern MotoGP™ tear-offs are designed for seamless removal at high speeds with either hand, minimising distraction and enabling riders to maintain focus on the session, Sprint or race they are participating in.

As MotoGP™ riders can reach speeds in excess of 360km/h (224mph) and with time gaps of less than 0.1s potentially being the difference between finishing first or second in a race or in qualifying, they need react superfast when their vision is compromised and remove their tear-offs as quickly as possible.

When and Why MotoGP™ Riders Use tear-offs

Visibility issues from bugs, oil, dust, tyre rubber, moisture or any other element could arise for the rider at any time on track and at any one of the 22 circuits which feature on the MotoGP™ calendar.

Whether the riders are in action on a sunny day at the Circuito de Jerez - Ángel Nieto in southern Spain, in the tropical heat of the Buriram International Circuit in Thailand, on a rainy afternoon at Silverstone in the UK or at night around the Lusail International Circuit close to the neighbouring deserts of Qatar, they rely on their helmet tear-offs to keep their visors clear whenever the need may arise.

A MotoGP™ tear-off might need to be removed even in the early seconds of an out lap during a free practice session, in the heat of the moment on a critical fast lap in qualifying or indeed in the closing stages of a race, with victory or a podium result in sight.

In fact, in a bizarre incident at Phillip Island at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, Marc Márquez had to remove a tear-off on the starting grid seconds before the race start due to a large insect obstructing his view. Generally, the riders avoid removing tear-offs on the grid for safety and sporting reasons not wishing to distract or hinder other riders.

But given the size of the insect on Marquez’ visor, he had no other choice and the discarded tear-off in fact became lodged under his own rear tyre, causing significant wheel spin and a poor start. The incident saw him drop back from second on the grid to lose several places, but despite this, Marquez recovered to win the race.

Another strange incident occurred at the Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini at Misano in 2020 when a tear-off discarded by Fabio Quartararo's Yamaha got sucked into Jack Miller's Ducati, blocking the air filter and forcing Miller to retire from the race. Miller took the unlikely occurrence in good spirits, displaying Quartararo’s tear-off in his garage at the next Grand Prix in Barcelona and eventually auctioning it off for charity.

In many sessions and races, the riders do not even need to remove one tear-off, but in other circumstances they might remove two or three depending on the amount of debris, dirt, moisture or other obstructions on their visors.

Tear-offs, visors and helmets: vital for rider safety in MotoGP

A MotoGP™ rider’s helmet is one of the most important parts of their equipment, with visors and tear-offs playing a crucial role in on-track safety, in addition to racing suits, boots and gloves.

Rider assistants and technicians from the helmet brands help to keep the riders’ helmets in pristine condition during Grands Prix, replacing any discarded tear-offs when necessary.

The world’s best helmet manufacturers provide the MotoGP™ riders with helmets which must have FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) certification and must meet the highest safety standards.

Durable, high-quality visors are used on the helmets to mitigate the effects of flying debris, stones, glare, bright sun and rain, with tear-offs providing an additional and crucial quick-cleaning functionality.

Innovation and ever-improving technology in MotoGP™

Where fractions of a second hold the key to victory, innovation and cutting-edge technology are essential and tear-offs are a perfect example of this. These ultra-thin transparent layers are simple to use, yet they provide a pragmatic solution for all conditions, allowing riders to maintain clarity, safety and speed.

Discarded tear-offs can be quickly tidied away by circuit staff and safety marshals at trackside, to mitigate environmental concerns. As MotoGP™ continues to push the boundaries of performance and sustainability, potential advancements such as biodegradable tear-offs highlight how even the smallest components reflect the sport's drive toward innovation and progress.

A clear view of the track ahead is essential in MotoGP™, especially in wet conditions. Check out this guide on how weather impacts MotoGP™ races.