Photo: Dainese
Dainese's recent announcement at Mugello is as close as it gets to the perfect win-win scenario in personal rider protection. The Italian manufacturer revealed that the D-Air technology will soon be available to other race suit manufacturers.
Up until now, Dainese and Alpinestars have had the upper hand in terms of rider protection in MotoGP, but new riding leathers manufacturers will now be able to incorporate this high-end technology.
So far, two race suit manufacturers have already jumped into the game. Vircos and Furygan have agreed to incorporate D-Air Armor in their products, and this makes non-Dainese riders Michele Pirro and Mattia Pasini (Vircos), Mike Di Meglio, Johan Zarco and Sam Lowes (Furygan) the first who will enjoy it.
Still, with Dainese's bold move, Alpinestars will be under extra pressure, as more and more riding gear manufacturers are expected to license the D-Air Armor technology. A move from Alpinestars can also be expected in the not-so-distant future to prevent Dainese from gaining too much traction in this segment.
The airbag business was touted as being a complete platform, so we can expect that Dainese will soon introduce a new range of applications for it, most likely outside the motorcycling field.
Dainese D-Air Armor provides a complete safety package that includes the electronics, gas canisters, wiring, battery, GPS, and the air bladder itself, of course. Apparently, the D-Air Armor will become an open platform that will become even easier to integrate with casual riding gear, too.
So far, two race suit manufacturers have already jumped into the game. Vircos and Furygan have agreed to incorporate D-Air Armor in their products, and this makes non-Dainese riders Michele Pirro and Mattia Pasini (Vircos), Mike Di Meglio, Johan Zarco and Sam Lowes (Furygan) the first who will enjoy it.
The Dainese D-Air Armor presumably available from the Catalan round
The mentioned riders are believed to receive their new Dainese-enabled race suits in two weeks' time, at the Catalunya round in Barcelona. The system is arguably the best the industry has to offer now, with Alpinestars being, of course, the main competitor.Still, with Dainese's bold move, Alpinestars will be under extra pressure, as more and more riding gear manufacturers are expected to license the D-Air Armor technology. A move from Alpinestars can also be expected in the not-so-distant future to prevent Dainese from gaining too much traction in this segment.
A majority of Dainese was acquired by Investcorp and the company is aggressively growing
Lino Dainese, the founder of Dainese, recently sold a majority stake (80%) to investment group Investcorp for €130 million ($141.8 mil). It looks like Investcorp set out to make Dainese grow into a much stronger brand in the industry.The airbag business was touted as being a complete platform, so we can expect that Dainese will soon introduce a new range of applications for it, most likely outside the motorcycling field.
Dainese D-Air Armor provides a complete safety package that includes the electronics, gas canisters, wiring, battery, GPS, and the air bladder itself, of course. Apparently, the D-Air Armor will become an open platform that will become even easier to integrate with casual riding gear, too.
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