‘We have lots of spare arms for Marquez, who crashes often’
So, what factors determine if a suit can’t be fixed?
“When there are more panels damaged than is worth the repair. On Alex’s suit here, he grazed the arm, but there’s still an adequate amount of leather remaining that hasn’t had any abrasions. We can paint it [the grazed area] and place a logo there instead.
“Everybody ends up on one side of their butt so in those areas there’s additional layering of leather. As long as there are no holes and a good amount of leather, it’s fine. Also, they can be patched from the inside as well so, even if it looks like this has abrasion on it, we can put extra leather underneath that you can’t see. But we always make sure there’s an adequate amount of leather coverage.”
Each rider has his own logo [sponsor] kit and spare leather sections that can be stitched on to the suit during the fixing process, including the arms, hind and hump areas. Spare arms are also available – repairing a suit to fight another day is always preferred to handing out a replacement.
“You begin to learn patterns and trends, and be in tune with every racer’s habits. I can guarantee we have more spare arms for Marc Marquez, who crashes often, than for Fabio Quartararo.’
Alongside the cleaning and stitch work, Reginato and Secco have access to a drawer full of paints, all matched precisely to the colours of the race teams. Delicate painting of the suits takes place with small brushes, and a lot of finesse is needed to ensure the suit looks like new once more.
It’s quite the skill and a steady hand is critical – easier said than done given the pressure these guys are under. Heat guns are used to dry the suits, which may then need a second layer of paint.
We come back the following day to see the finished result – and it’s astonishing. Alex’s suit looks brand-new once again and you can barely tell that new sections have been stitched on to it, or that it’s not the original paint. Marquez will be pleased with the result.
Traits and development
Things are continually developing and evolving at Alpinestars, just as they are on track. Riding styles dictate which modifications are made to the race suits for each new season. For example, the suits now include an aramid fibre mid-layer that disperses heat when there’s any abrasion. The issue was brought up by Marc Marquez, who was feeling heat on his arm in the process of making his iconic saves.
“He challenged us to find a solution. With this mid-layer, it doesn’t allow the heat to make it through to the second layer of the suit. Once we had proof of concept and it worked for Marc, we then found ways to incorporate it into the suits in general.
“Also, when Marc began dragging his elbow on the track, we had to react because we didn’t have elbow sliders. The earliest solution was a cut-and-modified magnesium toe slider that we attached to the arm with Velcro. Now, much like a knee slider, this is a removable part that comes in three compounds, Marc’s being the most durable of these, with a metal insert.”
Alpinestars are already looking into possible slider options for the upper part of the arm and shoulder due to the extreme riding style of Jorge Martin.
Different riders will need to use a different number of suits each season depending on the amount of times they crash, and how they like their suits to feel. Ultimately, a bedded-in suit is going to feel better than a brand-new, stiff one.
Comfy hands
A rider’s existing, broken-in gloves are the preferred option over a shiny new pair. According to Hillard, riders go through fewer gloves each year than any other product.
“At the same time, as we saw earlier with the crashed gloves, hand abrasions are difficult to repair, so we keep on top of it. It’s also something that’s particular, and something that we try to make exactly to measure.
“The riders will feel the smallest millimetres when reaching for the levers if there’s excess material on it. A lot of that work is done in testing – people’s hands don’t change so much.”
Over the years Alpinestars have modified gloves at the circuit to accommodate swollen fingers and other injuries that are picked up – for example, stitching two fingers together to make it easier to get the hands in. ‘Cricket stumps’ were also being used in the truck to help stretch gloves out.
“Antonietta is a specialist in everything, but she’s an expert in gloves,” reveals Hillard. “She gets all the information, and knows our MotoGP riders’ hands inside and out! There’s always the pressure to repair gloves at a race because, if we can salvage gloves that riders are comfortable using, they’ll want us to do it. But we can never compromise on safety.” Continued over