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We've seen data collected from Alpinestars air bags in multiple crashes by professional roadracers in MotoGP and other series, but now that the Tech-Air MX system is on the job in the even more crash-prone environment of motocross, we're getting our first look at data from that realm of racing — including a scary crash in the opening round of Supercross 10 days ago.
A1, as the opening round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross in Anaheim, California, is often referred to, was also the Supercross debut of the Ducati Desmo450 MX, but for Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing Team rider Justin Barcia, the night ended too early and in a brutal fashion. On the first lap of the 450SX main, with the pack still tightly bunched, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Malcolm Stewart got hemmed in by other riders and wasn't able to get the drive to do a triple jump as he normally would. Behind him, Barcia had already committed and was in mid-air doing the triple when he realized Stewart was right where he was going to land. At that point, there was nothing Barcia could do and he landed on Stewart, was thrown over his handlebar and slammed to the ground.
In the video below, taken by a fan, the crash begins at about the 20-second mark.
The chart below shows four seconds of the data recorded by Barcia's Tech-Air MX. From the moment Barcia made contact in mid-air with Stewart until he stopped tumbling was 2.7 seconds. The airbag deployed less than half a second after Barcia collided with Stewart and less than half a second before he violently hit the dirt. In that first impact with the ground, the airbag recorded an impact force of 27.6g.
Despite the severity of the crash, neither rider suffered permanent injuries.
"I got extremely lucky," Barcia said in a message posted on social media. "God was looking after me yesterday."
But beyond divine intervention, he also posted that he was glad he was wearing the Tech-Air MX.
After a visit to the hospital, Barcia was able to walk away, though he noted "I've never been so sore in my life" and he sat out the second round of Supercross in San Diego this past Saturday to continue recovering. Stewart suffered a dislocated shoulder and fractured scapula but was able to return to racing — though in considerable pain — a week after the crash for the San Diego round.
Airbag use is required in roadracing series such as MotoGP and World Superbike. With the availability of motocross-specific safety gear, it will be interesting to see if the series eventually mandates the use of airbags or if riders continue to adopt it voluntarily.
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