“FIM Lead The Way – Mandatory use of Airbag Technology in Moto GP for 2018”

The French motorcycle governing body FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) in conjunction with other members of the Grand Prix Commission (Dorna, IRTA, MSMA) lead the way in 2018 in terms of rider safety and rule in favour of the mandatory use of race suits fitted with air bag systems. All permanent Moto GP riders across all classes (Moto GP, Moto2 & Moto3) will be required to wear functional air bag suits for every session. Exceptions will be made for wildcard riders who will be issued a two-race pass before the mandatory element is enforced.

Stringent manufacturer guidelines have been outlined to ensure these key areas are met;

• The airbag should at the very least cover & protect the shoulders and collarbone.
• Whilst back protection is optional if it is adopted it must cover the whole spine.
• Accidental deployment of the rider must NOT impede the rider in any way or risk a potential crash.
• Air bag deployment must be achieved without a lanyard/tethered activation.
• In order for the airbag device to work extra parts should NOT need to be added to the bike.
• Each manufacturer must produce adequate documentation to prove their product complies with rigorous testing procedures, certification & current safety regulations.

At present sponsored MotoGP riders are mainly provided with airbag race suits by two key companies Dainese D-Air (Valentino Rossi) https://www.dainese.com/d-air/ and Alpinestars Tech Air Race (Marc Marquez) https://www.alpinestars.com/tech-air-race-airbag-system

Whilst this pioneering air bag technology is a step forward in terms of rider safety if the average biker thinks they will get their hands on one of these devices they best have deep pockets as each suit retails in excess of £1,100.

What does this ruling mean for the lower level track users?

Whilst air bag technology is not mandatory across all track sports yet, the good news is that this new ruling is shining the spotlight on rider safety and that surely can only be a good thing. It will only be a matter of time before other sports and regulating bodies will have to follow suit to ensure they too are shown to be taking their rider protection seriously.

More affordable air bag products are currently available such as Hit Air and Moto Air. However it is a French manufacture called Helite who is leading the way with their wide range of high-quality air bag technology for motorcycle users https://airvest.co.uk/product-category/motorcyles  . They have just launched their new GP Air Track Vest with Helite UK distributors – Airvest. https://airvest.co.uk/product/helite-track-air-vest .