Not only was the Urge Down-o-matic the helmet of choice for legendary Frenchies Fabien Barel and Sabrina Jonnier but it also made it onto our best full face helmets round up back in 2014.

The helmet was defined by Urge’s signature circular vents that made it look like something out of Starship Troopers and massively divided opinion. We thought the design was a grower but it seems that we were alone in that as they have been scrapped on this 2016 update. There are now 10 vents including the two gaping chasms that sit just behind the visor.

The Down-o-matic is made from a mixtured of glass-fibre and linen (yes really). This is the mix that was used in the Veggie version of the previous Down-o-matic and Urge claims it makes it more environmentally friendly. It does mean the helmet has crept up in weight by about 100 grams from 966 grams to a claimed 1,050 grams but it’s still on the lighter end of the full face market – and 100 grams lighter than the Fox Pro Carbon Cauz that made it into our Dirt 100.

Urge has kept the unusually high visor position on the new Down-o-matic and it also retains the circular hole that helps reduce drag. We were always impressed with the durability of the Down-o-matic’s visor that could be bent in half without snapping.

The helmet is available in four colourways priced at €299 (£240) and will be available at the end of May. You can check it out in action in this video featuring Barel and Florent Payet:

For more information, click here.