The racing community is pretty aware of the new race leathers that have gone from the kit that the MotoGP riders all wear ( compulsory ) to an option all riders have access to . What is less well known is the option is there for road riders , adventure riders and commuters as well . First , let ’ s check out a local example of what level of protection this new generation of gear offers us . Enter NZSBK 2021 Superbike Champ , Mitch Rees . I wouldn ’ t go so far as say Mitch ‘ volunteered ’ to test his Tech-Air Race leathers purely for our benefit , but he was more than willing to pass on the information a massive crash provided us . The new AlpineStars Tech- Air units not only physically protect the rider to levels we only used to be able to dream of , data-logging allows us to delve into the incident and measure impact , crash duration etc . As a serious over-achiever , Mitch managed to bank the highest impact G-force I have ever seen or read about . Each G adds your bodyweight , so 2G is double , 3G is triple etc - you get my drift . Mitch Rees went straight to the top end and recorded an impact of 27.57G ! And survived ! A low-side turned bad , Mitch hit the wall at 199km / h ... Without the level of protection these new technologies are capable of providing , there is no doubt in my mind , the
doctors ’ or Mitch ’ s mind , that it would have categorically been ‘ Lights Out ’. While I am certain that this new level of gear will become the norm in no time on the racetrack , let ’ s look at what this means for us when out on the roads . Furniture – a term often used to describe objects that can do you harm on the roads . This includes things like animals , culverts , trees , fences , powerpoles etc , all those everyday obstacles that are extremely unfriendly if you hit them at speed . And then there are the items of furniture going in the opposite direction at speed , as in cars , trucks and so on . These are things that the racers don ’ t often encounter on the track , obviously , but are always out there on the roads . Oh , and then there are the potholes , shiny patches ,
KIWI RIDER 29