‘25 milliseconds to fully inflate’
Alpinestars’ airbag system is managed by Alessandro Berardi. When a crashed suit is delivered to the service truck, it’s Berardi who connects the system to the computer, downloads the data, checks the sensors, recharges the device and ensures it all works.
In this case, it’s Jack Miller who has caused a lot of damage to the suit after a big crash onboard his KTM. Berardi will be able to dive deep into the analysis of the crash thanks to all the sensors.
The system allows Alpinestars to see when the rider loses control, the exact moment of deployment and the impact (or impacts, depending on the seriousness of the crash) and what happens to the rider in the aftermath. In fact, the sensors can even detect the rider walking away from the crash. Analysing everything allows Alpinestars to continue to develop the system, work on upgrades and fix any issues.
“We’re yet to have one that has been too much for the airbag,” Hillard said. “More than anything, we’re looking for the detection and the deployment, and the system understanding when control has been lost. It takes about 40 milliseconds for the algorithm to detect that something is wrong, and deciding that you’re going to crash. Once it has decided you’re going to crash, it takes 25 milliseconds to fully inflate the bag.”
Alpinestars use video footage alongside the airbag data to check the behaviour of the device, while race teams will sometimes ask to see the data if a rider is injured as a result of the crash.
The airbag system within the suit covers the rider’s shoulders, back, ribs and the hips, with an electronic unit and battery included. A rider can check the status of his battery with a click of a button on his left forearm, with a lighting system showing what’s currently happening. A second battery could be added, but would add more unwanted weight.
‘Finesse is needed to make the suit look like new once more’
These boots are made for riding
The evolution of riding styles is having an effect on the riders’ boots. Each rider “drags his feet under braking” in different ways; some with their heel, others on the ball of the foot. Nakagami does so on his toes.
“The biggest back-and-forth right now is the re-soling of boots,” explains Hillard. We’re looking at solutions, but it’s not as easy as making a harder sole because you then maybe lose the grip that you have with the current one. Again, we’re dealing with forces that we haven’t experienced before, so now we must analyse, develop and find the best solution.”
There are also different compounds of sole.“Miller uses a hard compound; it’s like wood and he’s used it all year,” Niall Addison, Racing Services for MotoGP riders, expands. “He’s finding it quite slippery here in Valencia, especially in the morning when it’s cold, so we made him a few boots with the normal compound that everybody else is using.”
Re-soling of boots takes place back at Alpinestars’ R&D facility in Italy, but aesthetic touches, such as repainting, are taken care of in the ever-busy service truck.
“There are changeable toe sliders too, but these guys are so precise with the way they ride that we actually put an insert in there because, in theory, they don’t drag it,” Hillard said. “If we put a physical toe slider in there, it would actually drag.”
Some riders have up to nine pairs of boots through the year, with standard off-the shelf sizing perfectly suitable for most of them.
“If somebody is half of a half size, we’ll make something to measure for them, or if they have a narrow foot or something abnormal, we can cater for that too.”
Helmet market
Alpinestars entered the helmet market last season, with Martin and Miller wearing the Supertech R10. It follows in the footsteps of the SM8 and then SM10 motocross helmet, which made its racing debut in 2018 before going to market the following year.
The R10’s development began in 2020, with Andrea Dovizioso playing a big part within the test team alongside the in-house designers and engineers.
Martin and Miller, who each have four helmets (two dry-weather ones and two for use in the wet), have a specially shaped hump on their suit that works in aerodynamic harmony with the helmet.
After each session the helmet is placed on to a fan stand that, like the race suit, gently dries it out. Again, it’s important not to cause any damage to the material inside the helmet. Riders also have fan stands inside their pit boxes.
“The standard thing will be to clean the helmet, clean the shield and fit two new tear-offs,” says Chris Kimball, Alpinestars Racing Services. “If it’s a ‘buggy’ track, the rider may want a third tear-off for the sighting or warm-up lap before pulling it off.
“You put one tear-off on, get it nice and flat against the shield, then apply a piece of tape on there, pre-cut, and then you pull that layer of film off that tear-off. Then you put the second one on, apply the tape…”
Both Miller and Martin have individual preferences for their helmets. For example, Miller’s doesn’t include the closure system on the vents, and he uses a different tear-off to his Spanish teammate: it sits higher on the visor, so he doesn’t see the line across his visor where the tear-off ends.
Cleaning is a crucial part of the helmet programme, and if there are mixed weather conditions the technicians need to have the rain helmet ready to go. A spray bottle of water is the go-to in order to avoid any chemicals and abrasives that would damage the adhesives holding the helmet together.
“The riders will sweat and breathe hard through their mouths, causing saliva to get on the shield,” Kimble adds. “You must make sure the shield is clean. If they’re not fogging, there aren’t many changes you’ll do. If they are fogging, you can put a Pinlock in.
“Most shields have anti-fog coated on the inside that, even in the cooler conditions here, are sufficient. But if you’re at a humid track, you’ll likely need a Pinlock in there. If there’s a probability of rain, we’ll set up with a rain shield with the Pinlock and breath boxes – some riders wear a breath guard.”
Trusting relationship
It’s clear from our time with Alpinestars that the race service team have a fantastic relationship with the riders; and they put a huge amount of effort into it. Ultimately, it’s about trust – on both sides – that everything is being done to a high, and safe, standard.
A comfortable rider is a happy rider, and some become very attached to their suits, especially if they win while wearing it…
“In 2011 Casey Stoner won seven races using the same suit,” continues Hillard. “It was comfortable for him but, after so many race weekends, it got to the point where no amount of cleaning was going to bring that suit back. His team boss Livio Suppo was like, ‘Come on, it’s time to change it!’
“Sponsors want everything to look good. For Casey it was a superstition thing, that suit was just more broken-in. He thought he was keeping sponsors happy by being on the top step of the podium.”
He probably was, to be fair.
‘Some riders become very attached to their suits’