Alpinestars' Tech-Air technology for off-road riders?
Alpinestars working to bring its airbag technology to the dirt
A DEDICATED Alpinestars off-road data research team is working with many of the world’s top racers in off-road competition to bring the Tech-Air technology to off-road motorcycle sport.
Alpinestars’ already equip their MotoGP racers with the Tech-Air system but the R&D department has been extending efforts into providing the same level of technology for off-road sport with a test programme at the highest levels in MXGP, the Dakar Rally and AMA Pro MX racing.
Bringing the benefits of the Tech-Air rider safety system to the demanding environment of off-road motorcycle racing is no easy task. Rally racing and particularly motocross demands air-flow and freedom of movement for riders bodies which makes it a tough call to produce a compatible airbag system riders can live with for extended periods of riding.
The Tech-Air Race system technology commenced R&D in 2001 and led to the launch of the first-generation racing airbag in MotoGP in 2009. This was followed by the second-generation full-body protection system in 2013 and the release of the unique Tech-Air Street system, for use on the road, the following year.
Claiming to be the world’s first stand-alone airbag system to offer riders airbag protection to the chest, shoulders, kidneys and back, the most exposed torso areas during a crash. The system, specifically designed to be entirely self-contained for racing and street riding, functions without relying on external sensors, including GPS.
