There was a strange hum in the air in Valencia around the Racing Service on the season’s last Grand Prix race, just like when you hold your breath waiting for something to happen. Then something really happened. In the mere space of seconds, the time required to fall off a bike, first Simoncelli fell, then Giorgi, and then Ranseder, and the tension pent up in the hearts of more than a few observers exploded into the deepest and most authentic enthusiasm when the long-desired reaction occurred: the D-air® racing air bag system developed by Dainese was triggered into action for the first time during a Grand Prix race in Valencia! The system was tested by Marco Simoncelli (250 cc division) Simone Grotzky, and Michi Ranseder (125 cc division).
This extraordinary result represented the richly deserved reward for all the effort, determination, perseverance and conviction of work team constantly committed to research, experimentation, data collection, and reliability testing around an extremely ambitious project that began more than ten years ago that has now reached a decidedly high advanced state of prototype configuration. The accomplishment also represents the starting point for keeping concentration levels high and focused on the next steps that envision many other specific tests in both the laboratory and on track for the perfection of a system that may be placed on the market in the next few years, in this way making an instrument that has become the symbol of the mission of “providing people with head-to-toe dynamic sports protection” that Dainese has pursued ever since 1972 available to a wider number of users.
The D-air® Racing System is an advanced safety system for motorcycle riders representing the latest evolution in dynamic protection during racing. Designed to be used exclusively on track or by professionals or expert amateurs on qualified circuits, the system consists of a removable aerodynamic appendage positioned on the rider’s back and connected to DAINESE racing suit that ejects an airbag that envelops the upper part of the rider’s chest, shoulders, and neck whenever a spill or slide occurs.
Once the bag has inflated, the appendage can be easily removed by a quick gesture of the rider, who can then resume the race.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
- The system is fully independent and connected neither physically or via radio to the motorcycle;
- Instrumentation complete with 3 accelerometers, 3 turn meters, and a GPS system, all completely built into the aerodynamic appendage;
- Capacity to acquire up to 10 hours of data on rider dynamics during the race (in development platform configuration);
- Self-powered electronics with Lithium-polymer (Li-Po) batteries with approx. 4 hour working autonomy;
- Pyrotechnic-Inert gas Hybrid-type gas generator;
- The protective sack that covers the shoulders and neck with a total volume of 37 liters of air inflates in less than 40ms;
- The system enclosed in the special aerodynamic hump can be quickly removed after a spill in order to get back into the race fast.
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