VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P103
Alpinestars has been testing develop-
ment versions of the Tech-Air Off-Road
since 2017, again at the highest levels of
racing, and they brought some of their su
-
perstar athletes to the Tech-Air Off-Road
launch so that we could hear firsthand
from pro riders, such as Ricky Brabec and
Skyler Howes, just how many times this
technology has saved them from what
could have been serious injury. During the
presentation, we watched super-slow-mo
-
tion videos of absolutely gnarly crashes,
some that were difficult to watch, but
proved in very dramatic fashion just how
effective this technology really is.
Let's face it, rally racing is one of the
most dangerous sports on the planet,
and because of that, it's an ideal testing
ground for developing the most advanced
protective gear available. The final de
-
velopment version of the Tech-Air Off-
Road was worn by 52 riders in the 2020
Andalucía Rally and has since been worn
by hundreds of others in races all over
the world (including 83 riders in the 2023
Dakar) as part of the maturation process
to verify a production version for everyday
folks like us. And now that it's here, the
Tech-Air Off-Road offers adventure riders
and weekend warrior racers the same
level of protection as that worn by the
best riders in the world.
Alpinestars has made huge advance
-
ments in their airbag systems since their
first consumer system was introduced in
2011. We've tested a few of those sys
-
tems over the years. Most of the early
Ricky Brabec
demonstrates the
Tech-Air Off-
Road system in
action.
