On January 25, Dainese presented the Dainese/AGV 2010 collection to the motorcycle press at their D-Store in Costa Mesa, Calif. The highlight of the event was the introduction of the D-Air Racing system, an advanced safety system for motorcycle racers that revolutionizes rider protection in the event of a crash.
The culmination of 10 years of testing by D-Tec, the (Dainese Technology Center) and patented by Dainese, the D-air system provides unprecedented protection for a rider’s neck, shoulders and collarbone. Previous glimpses of the D-air system showed an external air collar, but in its current incarnation the D-air system is fully integrated into the Dianese racing suit.
On site for the event was a prototype suit fitted with the D-Air system that had been fitted for and worn by MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi. Silvio Celi, Rossi’s personal tailor, presented the history of the D-Air project from the first concept in 1996 to current prototype. His detailed presentation and explanation of the project development challenges the definition of “tailor”; in this case, something may be lost translation.
Mr. Celi could more accurately be called Rossi’s Chief Personal Security Engineer. As Rossi’s suit fitter, he knows exactly how, why and where to place a Kevlar stitch or a titanium sandwich. In his office is an aluminum/rubber back protector imprinted by Rossi’s spine after a crash. The back protector was ruined, but was Rossi was uninjured.
The D-Air safety system works without any connection to the motorcycle. Managed by accelerometers and gyroscopes housed inside the hump, inflation is triggered by an algorithm that can be modified based on data analysis and rider feedback. In case of a fall or slide, it inflates a protective bag covering the upper part of the chest, the shoulders and the neck. The bag takes 20 milliseconds to inflate (a blink of an eye, is how the team described it), stays inflated for 5 seconds, and fully deflates 20 seconds later. After deflation, the rider can continue racing. (There was much discussion of Jorge Lorenzo’s incident last year when the suit inflated, although Lorenzo didn’t fall. According to Celi, this is an example of Dainese’s decision to put safety first. In most cases, under those same conditions, the rider would fall -- and so the algorithm was not changed after Lorenzo’s experience.)
Even without the addition of the D-Air system, a Dainese racing suit exceeds all existing safety standards. So, how much additional protection is offered by the D-Air racing system? Over the past five years, the Dainese team has collected detailed data on over 500 crashes. According to analysis of rider data collected over thousands of rides, the Dainese titanium composite alone improves safety more than 35-percent over traditional composites. Tests conducted in the D-Tec laboratories document shock absorption values offered by the D-Air system improve safety an additional 80-percent over the already high titanium composite, due to the use of the airbag.
Dainese’s top priority has always been rider protection. The company boasts a long list of industry firsts: the first to design the aerodynamic hump for increased neck and back protection, the first to protect the shoulders, elbows and knees with titanium composite, the first to add Kevlar to glove and boots, the first to employ removable knee pucks, and many other safety features that we now take for granted.
In the seven years Dainese-sponsored riders have worn titanium composite protection, there have been only 7 clavicle fractures. This benefits all riders, because what is tested and proven on Dainese-sponsored racers ultimately finds an application in consumer protective gear. In fact, currently 80 rider/enthusiasts have paid for a Dainese race suit fitted with D-Air race system and will use them on the track this coming year. Their feedback will be instrumental in helping the Dainese D-Air task force develop the system for widespread track use. The D-Air system was used for the first time during the 2007 Grand Prix race in Valencia and initially tested by Marco Simoncelli in 250cc class, Simone Grotzky, and Michi Ranseder in 125 cc races. Last year Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi wore it in Moto GP competition. This year Guy Martin is slated to wear the Dainese system at Isle of Mann.
