Bennetts Biking Dreams winners: John Mair

When John Mair entered the Bennetts Biker Dream competition, his request was modest – a pair of Bluetooth compatible helmets for himself and his nine-year-old daughter, so that they could better communicate when she rides pillion on his motorcycle.  However, the Plymouth man got a lot more than he dreamed of when he and daughter, Chloe-Ann, were whisked away to Italy to witness the helmets being manufactured.

Even better was the fact that the visit to the Nolan helmet factory coincided with the manufacturer’s Christmas party and the pair were lucky enough to meet some of the world’s most successful bike racers, including current MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo.

The trip – organised by Bennetts as part of their 80th anniversary campaign to fulfil £80,000 worth of biker dreams – truly made Christmas for the pair. After watching the production process right through from grains of dust to the completed helmets and a variety of safety tests, John and his daughter were presented with their helmets, ensuring many more years of enjoyable pillion riding together. Chloe-Ann even provided some valuable input into the needs of child riders on UK roads.

“The whole trip, from start to finish, was incredible!” said John. “My daughter Chloe-Ann and I had a fantastic time and we both really enjoyed it. I was actually quite surprised at how interested she was in the helmet production process. She simply hasn’t stopped talking about it!

“That in itself was more than we dreamed of, but we also had the privilege of being invited to the factories’ Christmas party, where we got to meet Marco Melandri, Carlos Checa and Jorge Lorenzo. What more can you possibly ask for?! The entire team at Nolan were so hospitable and really went out of their way to make sure we had an amazing day. I would just like to thank everyone that worked together to make our Bennetts Biker Dreams come true. I was amazed when my entry won, but the actual prize was an amazing experience and one that we will never forget.”