VOL. 54 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 1, 2017 P119
The Apex is the production version of the
prototype suit worm by Zarco in MotoGP
and is constructed in 1.4mm cowhide leather
sourced from South America and Italy.
Once the leather reaches the Furgan plant
in Nimes, France, it's examined and cut to
size, then shipped to Furygan's second plant
in Tunisia, Africa, to be stitched together be-
fore returning to France so the CE-approved
protection knees can be fitted.
The elbows and shoulders carry
external thermoformed shells em-
boldened with the company's Pan-
ther logo on the outside and alumi-
num inserts under the leather, and
areas especially prone to tearing
in a crash like the stretch panels
at the rider's butt have been given
triple stitching.
There's no protection fitted to
the back and no padding in the
hips. The lack of a back protector
doesn't concern me, as I always
wear a proper dedicated back pro-
tector when I go out on track and
the ones that come fitted to most
do next to nothing in a track crash,
although I'd have liked some pad-
ding in the hips to cushion any
side impact.
(Left) Valentin
Debise has given his
Furygan suits a solid
work out this year as
you can see by the
marks on his arm
and hip. (Below) The
breathable lining
doesn't stretch
below the knee,
which can make
the suit difficult to
get in and out of,
especially on a
hot day.
