Photo: MotoGP.com
Alpinestars, the manufacturer of Marc Marquez' MotoGP leathers, has surfaced official telemetry recorded by the computer inside the rookie's suit, and the figures are quite amazing, as they show just how much the on-rider airbag technology helps in such cases.
The straight line at Mugello is one of the longest to be encountered on a world-class racing circuit, and in case of the MotoGP bikes, riders travel at speeds close to 340 km/h (210 mph). It was only few km/h under this mark when Repsol Honda's rookie Marc Marquez lost control of his machine in FP2 and crashed, in the last segment of the straight line, before the San Donato curve.
Despite having tried to get off the bike as he went down, Marquez was dragged along the side wall and according to the accelerometers in his suit, he received severe impact in both shoulders. Now, there is no telling exactly how severe were in fact these shocks, as the accelerometers can only record impacts up to 25 G, and they both reached this limit.
What worked to the Spaniard's advantage and was one of the key elements to keep him protected was the early crash detection and the fast inflation of the airbag. The Alpinestars Tech Air racing suit computer detected the crash 0.08 prior to the first impact with the ground, and needed 0.05 seconds to fully inflate the air bags.
This provided Marquez with a fully-inflated airbag system with only 0.03 seconds before he hit the ground, and it looks like this split second was just enough. The Honda rider made is safely with a bruised chin, a very small an insignificant fissure in his right humerus bone (according to X-rays), a small inflammation of tendons. The doctors recommended physiotherapy and claim he'll be 100% recovered in no time.
Marquez also crashed in the Sunday race at Mugello, while being in second place 2 laps before the finish, and he now sits in the 3rd position in the provisional rankings with 77 point. The series is lead by Marquez' team mate Dani pedrosa with 103 points, followed by Jorge Lorenzo with 91. The next round is in Barcelona, Spain, home race for Lorenzo. Via Asphalt and Rubber.
Despite having tried to get off the bike as he went down, Marquez was dragged along the side wall and according to the accelerometers in his suit, he received severe impact in both shoulders. Now, there is no telling exactly how severe were in fact these shocks, as the accelerometers can only record impacts up to 25 G, and they both reached this limit.
What worked to the Spaniard's advantage and was one of the key elements to keep him protected was the early crash detection and the fast inflation of the airbag. The Alpinestars Tech Air racing suit computer detected the crash 0.08 prior to the first impact with the ground, and needed 0.05 seconds to fully inflate the air bags.
This provided Marquez with a fully-inflated airbag system with only 0.03 seconds before he hit the ground, and it looks like this split second was just enough. The Honda rider made is safely with a bruised chin, a very small an insignificant fissure in his right humerus bone (according to X-rays), a small inflammation of tendons. The doctors recommended physiotherapy and claim he'll be 100% recovered in no time.
Marquez also crashed in the Sunday race at Mugello, while being in second place 2 laps before the finish, and he now sits in the 3rd position in the provisional rankings with 77 point. The series is lead by Marquez' team mate Dani pedrosa with 103 points, followed by Jorge Lorenzo with 91. The next round is in Barcelona, Spain, home race for Lorenzo. Via Asphalt and Rubber.
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