VOL. 52 ISSUE 24 JUNE 16, 2015 P65
GPS signal, with protection cen-
tered around the neck, shoulder
and collarbones.
According to Dainese, the
D-Air suit transmits 674 pounds
of force to the body in a crash.
With a non D-Air suit, the human
body could be up for a force of
7868 pounds in the event of an
accident. Think of it as falling
backwards onto a couch versus
falling backwards onto the floor.
The 45 milliseconds that it takes
for the airbag to inflate means
that the rider is protected long
before they hit the ground.
BORN FROM RACING
The D-Air has been developed
with riders in MotoGP, WSBK
and World Endurance (SERT
rider Vincent Phillipe became
the first rider to win the 24 Hours
of Le Mans with a D-Air suit this
year) and the results of testing
make for interesting reading.
Since 2009, there have been
23 shoulder fractures and 29
broken collarbones in MotoGP.
Of those crashes, only one D-
Air rider—Pol Espargaro—broke
his collarbone. More recently
Andrea Iannone dislocated
his shoulder during testing at
Mugello, however this was when
he was wearing a non D-Air-
equipped suit after he crashed
earlier in the test session and
ruined the only D-Air suit he had
available to him that day. CN
Pretty soon consumers in the U.S.
will be able to get their hands on
what MotoGP stars like Valentino
Rossi have been wearing—
Dainese's D-Air suit.
Andrea Iannone (left) and
Valentino Rossi have been
involved with the D-Air project for
many years in MotoGP.
