Alpinestars Tech-Air Race Suit Performance
ALPINESTARS TECH-AIR RACE SUIT PERFORMANCE
IGNITION
NEWS
ROAD RASH! Loris Baz survives a 180-mph tire failure!
A look at the data pulled from Loris Baz's Tech-Air race suit after his crash at Sepang
Bradley Adams
MotoGP riders have the opportunity to test and ride in the latest safety gear. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they’ll, generally speaking, also end up conducting a more thorough evaluation ofthat safety gear than the average consumer would. In the first preseason MotoGP test of 2016, at Sepang International Circuit, Loris Baz reaffirmed that point in a 180-mph crash that not only made headlines but also put his Alpinestars Tech-Air airbag-equipped race suit to the ultimate test.
The crash itself was a result of the soft-compound Michelin tire that Baz was using coming apart, which resulted in Baz sliding feet first down Sepang’s long front straight. In photos, it was a grim scene, and in person we’re sure something even worse. Fortunately, Baz walked away unscathed, his bike narrowly missing him as it bounced off a guard rail and back across the track, the Frenchmen coming to a stop a few feet farther back. In the end, Baz would credit his Alpinestars safety gear for keeping him in one piece and enabling him to continue testing.
While this certainly isn’t a situation that Alpinestars wants to see happen, itisonethatthe manufacturer surely thinks about when developing its suits, if not one that it can definitely take advantage of. More data equates to a better understanding of the widely varying dynamic of motorcycle crashes and, in the end, could potentially lead to an even more advanced product for its racers and customers.
So what will Alpinestars take from Baz’s crash? Here, at least, is a look at the data the company has to work with.
THE NUMBERS
180.2 mph Speed Baz was traveling when he lost control
29.9 G Maximum impact recorded on Baz’s left shoulder
1.9 seconds Time between initial loss of control and when Baz was launched from his bike
60 milliseconds Time between the Tech-Air suit’s airbags being deployed and Baz hitting the ground
6.6. seconds Time Baz spent sliding on his back
0 Testing days missed
seconds Time between when Baz initially lost control and stopped sliding
zero Bones broken
