OMP Racing

OMP Racing is an Italian motorsport-equipment manufacturer and brand operated by OMP Racing S.p.A., whose name derives from Officine Meccaniche Percivale. The company was established in 1973 in the Genoa area by three brothers, Claudio, Piergiorgio, and Roberto Percivale. Its original business concentrated on rally-car accessories, including rollbars and tailpipes, placing the company close to the practical engineering and safety needs of competition vehicles. During the 1980s, OMP expanded from vehicle accessories into equipment worn and used by drivers. Its range came to include racing suits, gloves, boots, helmets, and related protective equipment. This broadened the brand from a specialist supplier of rally-car hardware into a more comprehensive motorsport-safety company. Its product scope also includes racing seats and harnesses, which are central components of a competition vehicle's occupant-protection system, as well as other racing-car accessories. OMP's identity is closely associated with organized motorsport and technical safety equipment rather than with ordinary road-car fashion or general automotive retail. Its products are used across multiple forms of racing, including Formula 1, Formula 2, rallying, endurance racing, Formula E, IndyCar, and touring-car competition. The brand's sponsorship and team relationships have included manufacturers, race teams, and drivers, giving it visibility in both international championships and professional racing programs. Ownership changed substantially in 2008, when brothers Paolo Delprato and Alberto Delprato acquired a majority share of the company. Under their ownership, OMP continued operating as a specialist motorsport-equipment business. In December 2019, OMP announced the acquisition of a majority shareholding in Bell Racing Helmets Group. That transaction connected OMP with a major helmet-focused motorsport business and strengthened the broader group's position in driver-protection equipment. As of 2025, OMP has a presence through sponsorships and equipment relationships in several leading racing series. Listed associations include the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team and Revolut Audi F1 Team in Formula 1; DAMS Lucas Oil in Formula 2; Toyota Gazoo Racing in the World Rally Championship; Akkodis ASP Team and Iron Lynx in the FIA World Endurance Championship; Cupra Kiro, Envision Racing, and Mahindra Racing in Formula E; and Team Penske, Dale Coyne Racing, and Juncos Hollinger Racing in IndyCar. Earlier relationships with prominent drivers such as Henri Toivonen, Markku Alen, Björn Waldegård, Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz, Tommi Mäkinen, Didier Auriol, Richard Burns, Yvan Muller, and Robert Huff further illustrate the brand's long-standing involvement in professional racing. OMP therefore occupies a specialist position within the automotive and consumer-discretionary sectors: it supplies equipment intended to improve driver protection, vehicle safety, and racing functionality, while maintaining visibility through partnerships with elite motorsport participants.

OMP Racing S.p.A., also known as Officine Meccaniche Percivale, was founded in 1973 in the area of Genoa, Italy, by three brothers: Claudio, Piergiorgio, and Roberto Percivale. The company's first products were intended for rally cars and included structural and exhaust-related accessories such as rollbars and tailpipes. This initial focus established OMP as a specialist supplier serving the technical requirements of competition vehicles. In the 1980s, OMP broadened its business into equipment for racing drivers. The company began producing racing suits, gloves, boots, helmets, and other forms of protective equipment. This transition expanded its role from a manufacturer of rally-car components to a wider motorsport-safety brand. Over time, its product portfolio also came to include racing seats, safety harnesses, and additional racing-car accessories. A significant ownership change occurred in 2008, when brothers Paolo Delprato and Alberto Delprato acquired a majority share of OMP Racing. The company remained focused on motorsport equipment and maintained visibility through relationships with drivers, teams, and manufacturers competing in international championships. OMP's historic sponsorship and association portfolio has included prominent rally drivers such as Henri Toivonen, Markku Alen, Björn Waldegård, Alex Fiorio, Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz, Tommi Mäkinen, Didier Auriol, and Richard Burns. The brand has also been associated with touring-car drivers Yvan Muller and Robert Huff. These relationships supported OMP's visibility in rallying and touring-car competition while reinforcing its connection with professional driver safety. On 11 December 2019, OMP announced that it had acquired a majority shareholding in Bell Racing Helmets Group. The transaction was strategically relevant because Bell is associated with racing helmets, while OMP already supplied a broader range of driver equipment and vehicle-safety products. The deal therefore brought two established motorsport-safety businesses together under a wider ownership structure. By 2025, OMP was represented through sponsorships or equipment relationships across Formula 1, Formula 2, the World Rally Championship, the FIA World Endurance Championship, Formula E, and IndyCar. Listed current associations included Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, Revolut Audi F1 Team, DAMS Lucas Oil, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Akkodis ASP Team, Iron Lynx, Cupra Kiro, Envision Racing, Mahindra Racing, Team Penske, Dale Coyne Racing, and Juncos Hollinger Racing. OMP's development consequently reflects a long-term shift from a regional rally-accessories manufacturer into an internationally visible supplier of motorsport safety equipment, driver apparel, and racing accessories.

• 2019

  Bell Racing Helmets Group acquisition announced

  [1]OMP Racingen.wikipedia.org

  OMP announces its acquisition of a majority shareholding in Bell Racing Helmets Group.

• 2008

  Delprato brothers acquire majority ownership

  [1]OMP Racingen.wikipedia.org

  Paolo Delprato and Alberto Delprato acquire a majority share of OMP Racing.

• 1980

  Expansion into driver equipment

  [1]OMP Racingen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1980s, OMP expands from rally-car accessories into racing suits, gloves, boots, helmets, and related driver equipment.

• 1973

  OMP Racing is founded

  [1]OMP Racingen.wikipedia.org

  Claudio, Piergiorgio, and Roberto Percivale establish the company in the Genoa area of Italy.

Professional motorsport safety equipment and racing accessories

• Driver apparel

  Racing suits

  OMP racing suits are part of the company's driver-equipment range developed for competitive motorsport. They represent the brand's move in the 1980s from vehicle accessories into protective apparel used by drivers.

• Driver apparel

  Racing gloves and boots

  Racing gloves and boots form part of OMP's specialist apparel and protection offering for motorsport participants. They are associated with the company's broader focus on equipment worn by professional and competition drivers.

• Driver safety equipment

  Racing helmets

  Helmets are among the driver-protection products associated with OMP's racing-equipment portfolio. The company's 2019 majority acquisition of Bell Racing Helmets Group further connected OMP with the specialist motorsport-helmet sector.

• Vehicle safety equipment

  Racing seats and safety harnesses

  OMP supplies competition-oriented seating and restraint products, including racing seats and safety harnesses. These products complement its driver apparel and form part of the equipment used to protect occupants in racing vehicles.

• Racing-car equipment · 1973

  Rollbars and racing-car accessories

  The company's original product area included rally-car accessories such as rollbars and tailpipes. OMP subsequently expanded its vehicle-equipment range while retaining its association with competition-car preparation and safety.

• Formula 1 team sponsorships and associations

  International

  OMP has been listed as associated with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team and Revolut Audi F1 Team as of 2025.

  Outcome. The relationships provide visibility for OMP within the highest-profile international single-seater championship.

  Source
• Multi-series motorsport sponsorship portfolio

  International

  OMP's listed current associations span Formula 2, the World Rally Championship, the FIA World Endurance Championship, Formula E, and IndyCar.

  Outcome. The portfolio positions the brand across rally, endurance, electric, and North American open-wheel racing.

  Source
• Historic driver sponsorships

  International

  OMP has historically sponsored or been associated with drivers including Henri Toivonen, Markku Alen, Björn Waldegård, Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz, Tommi Mäkinen, Didier Auriol, Richard Burns, Yvan Muller, and Robert Huff.

  Outcome. These relationships helped establish OMP's long-term visibility in rallying and touring-car racing.

  Source

• 2019

  Acquire majority shareholding in Bell Racing Helmets GroupM&A

  Background

  OMP operated across motorsport safety equipment, while Bell Racing Helmets Group specialized in racing helmets.

  Action taken

  On 11 December 2019, OMP announced that it had acquired a majority shareholding in Bell Racing Helmets Group.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition broadened OMP's corporate involvement in the specialist motorsport-helmet and driver-protection market.

  Source

1. 1OMP Racingen.wikipedia.org