In case of EMERGENCY...

They might not be the loudest or shiniest of bolt-ons for your bike, but if you want to keep your fluids within your motor and your cash inside of your wallet, investing in proper engine case protection might be the best purchase you ever make.

- WORDS: BIG MAC PICS: CHIPPY

Did you know that in 2023, GB Racing supplied 4721 individual engine protectors to race teams? No, neither did I, but then why would I, given that the humble engine protector is probably the least sexy accessory or part on any race bike? I doubt very much that the word 'trick' has never been used when referring to an engine protector.

However, when you consider that a very large percentage of those 4721 engine protectors were supplied as replacements, maybe 'unsung hero' is a much more appropriate choice of words. Imagine a world where all of those 4700 crashes occurred without any protection to the engine. Now imagine just how much oil would have found its way onto the track as a result, and in turn how many other crashes on dropped engine oil would have happened. Make no mistake, the humble crash protector for the engine has probably saved an unholy amount of session-stopping red flags to clean up contaminated track surfaces, not to mention the very real possibility of also saving injuries and maybe even lives of racers and trackdayers being brought down by spilt engine oil.

With this thought in my head and being a bit of a nerd when it comes to tech and how things work even the uncool stuff, I was only too pleased to take up an invitation to meet the people behind GB Racing and take a look around their set-up where every single one of their products is designed and manufactured and distributed from. It's a 100% British company with its entire supply chain based right here in Britian, which itself is unique these days, but it gets even more so when I learned that it's also a family business - with dad (Graham Banks) running the show and his two children, Charlotte and Tim, by his side.