After a decade of development, Alpinestars chose the iconic MXGP of Flanders at the Lommel Circuit in Belgium to launch the latest addition to its family of autonomous Airbag products: the Tech-Air® MX. Available to Alpinestars-supported professional athletes, this pre-production System is now ready for use in training and practice during race weekends, in full cooperation and accordance with current MXGP and FIM regulations.

TECH-AIR® MX AIRBAG SYSTEM

Alpinestars has a long and leading history in developing Airbag body protection for motorcycle racing.Tech-Air® Race was introduced in MotoGP in 2009, utilizing the data that was recorded in road racing with its large team of racers in different categories since 2003.There have been several generations of Tech-Air® Race since then, all benefiting from the vast amount of data logged by hundreds of Alpinestars racers worldwide.

The same approach was applied to Tech-Air® Off-Road, which represents the state of the art in protection at the Dakar race since 2019, with data logging done at Dakar and World Rally Championship races by Alpinestars riders since 2014.

Alpinestars has been doing data logging with its athletes in FIM MXGP and AMA Supercross and Motocross, since 2016, in order to develop the sophisticated activation algorithm that can precisely and swiftly trigger airbag protection in the challenging and dynamic environments that MX and Supercross riders encounter - including ruts, berms, and different configurations of jumps and whoops.

Maxime Renaux: “The Airbag from Alpinestars is definitely a big improvement and big step ahead on the security level, compared to a normal chest protector it helps on big crashes and inflates to protect us much better. The great thing of the new Alpinestars Airbag is that it is really light and really comfortable, just as a normal chest protector, so it won’t disturb the movement of the rider, it won’t disturb trainings and races, it will just bring another step in security, and this is obviously important in our sport. So really grateful that the brand made a step forward on this and allow us to be provided with the best equipment for protection.”

Jeffrey Herlings: “So today I've been riding with the pre-production version of Tech-Air® MX body protection from Alpinestars. It was very surprisingly good. I really enjoyed doing it. There has been a lot of development done on it, and I think it's something for the future. I think having an airbag in motocross could really benefit, you know, the protection for us and the safety of us riders.”

Calvin Vlaanderen: “I just got off the track with the latest version of the Alpinestars airbag body protector. I'm really excited for you guys to test it. The first impression is good right away. It doesn't really feel much different to the whole body protector, but, obviously, the safety is a big plus in the direction we need to go. It's really comfortable and when I'm riding I don't feel it, so it's definitely a positive thing. I'm very impressed with how it feels on track. It doesn't feel like anything different. It feels nice and snug on the body and comfortable when riding. So it's good.”

Jago Geerts: “Really happy about the Alpinestars airbag vest, I've been using it for a while and it's really comfortable and normal, like a normal chest protector. It's light and it gives you extra protection. So, it's really good to have when riding since a lot of things can happen in motocross. It's always good to have extra protection. And, it's really good to know that you have an airbag with you.”

Thus, Tech-Air® MX provides extensive and effective upper body protection in a compact chest protector that comes with an autonomous Airbag System embedded inside. The Tech-Air® MX is a convenient Airbag protection solution that MX riders can easily wear as part of their kit, offering unrivaled upper body protection at the track.

With Airbag technology being so new in the world of motocross, Alpinestars looks forward to collaborating with the FIM to share data and information. This collaboration aims to aid in the long-term implementation and regulation of MX Airbag technology, similar to our previous efforts in MotoGP and Dakar/World Rallies.

The Tech-Air® MX System can be worn over or under any properly fitting apparel with enough room to accommodate the inflation of the airbag. The System offers superior ventilation, with a low-profile and lightweight construction, and maximizes comfort and freedom of movement.

Activating the Tech-Air® MX is easy; simply attach the left buckle of the System to the Chest Protector, and an internal magnetic switch will detect the left buckle is closed and automatically turn on and activate the Airbag System. Detaching the left buckle will automatically deactivate and turn off the System.

AI TECHNOLOGY AND CRASH MONITORING PERFORMANCE

An industry-first, the Tech-Air® MX is a fully self-contained, standalone active electronic System that features six integrated sensors: 1 triaxial accelerometer and 1 triaxial gyroscope. These sensors monitor the rider’s body for shocks or unexpected movements and communicate with the System’s computer, sending data inputs every millisecond, or a thousand times per second. Developed through years of research in collaboration with the world’s leading pro-MX/SX and MXGP riders, our team has analyzed riding data from thousands of hours of riding data and crashes, to to accurately assess when to deploy the Airbag ahead of an impact or other dangerous riding event.

Upon the identification of a crash situation, the algorithm will trigger the deployment of the protective Airbag, providing unrivaled protection to the rider (with an average inflation time of 40 ms, depending on the volume of the airbag size). The impact absorption while wearing the Airbag when inflated, results in the System being more than 4 times as protective as passive impact protectors.

TECH-AIR® MX RIDING MODES

The pre-production Tech-Air® MX System comes pre-loaded with the MX/SX Riding Mode. While still in final development, the Tech-Air® MX System will offer riders the possibility of switching between 3 different Riding Modes on the final production Airbag System. Each Riding Mode features an optimized algorithm that enables the system to detect imminent impacts and deploy the protective airbag in crash situations, specific to the type of riding the user is doing at the time.

EASY GAS INFLATOR REPLACEMENT

A quick-release cover opening allows for rapid gas inflator replacement by users (where local regulations allow). In addition, the bladder will likely be certified for up to four to six individual deployments before requiring service, this will be confirmed for the final production version of the System.

TECH-AIR® APP AND SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATES

When it comes to other features, the Tech-Air® MX is Bluetooth enabled, allowing riders to easily update their System via the free Tech-Air® App when new releases of the System’s software with new crash-detection algorithms become available. Offering a wide variety of functionalities, the App provides riders with the ability to check the System’s operational status, and battery life, consult the User Manual, and record their rides on an enhanced Google map with MyRide, subject to network coverage.

Regarding battery life, a fully charged battery will provide the System with approximately 30 hours of active ride time. The LED Display features an integrated charging port for convenient and easy charging of the System. Additionally, an integrated LED display is positioned on the Chest Protector and indicates the System’s operational status, battery status, and available Riding Modes.

PROTECTION

The Tech-Air® MX System provides CE LEVEL 1 passive protection on both the chest and back. Additionally, when the Airbag is inflated, it offers CE LEVEL 1 active protection on the back, delivering four times more protection than the passive protector alone. When deployed, the Tech-Air® System’s Airbag provides protection to the rider's shoulders, chest, and back, ensuring unprecedented upper body coverage for motocross.

The Tech-Air® MX System is Category II CE Certified to the 686/89/EEC European PPE Directive and a version of EN1621-4:2013, which guarantees impact protection performance within 40 milliseconds to 5 seconds of full pressure inflation.

AVAILABILITY

The pre-production version of Tech-Air® MX will be available to professional FIM MXGP and AMA MX/SX and MXGP riders in Europe and North America starting on July 27th. The production version of the Tech-Air® MX System for the general public is scheduled for the second half of 2025 for international markets.

Find out more here: Alpinestars Official Store