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Ducati Announces Multistrada D-Air Model with Integrated Wireless Airbag Capabilities from Dainese

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With the Ducati Multistrada D-Air, the Italian brand is laying claim to the first production motorcycle with a wirelessly integrated airbag jacket system.

Something that was announced at last year’s EICMA show by BMW Motorrad, the Italians have seemingly beaten the Germans to market, though the real announcement here is the OEM integration that Dainese is building with its D-Air suits and jackets with various manufacturers.

The Ducati system, like the BMW version, includes an integrated set of electronics built into the motorcycle’s existing electronics package. This allows the Dainese D-Air system to constantly know the motorcycle’s vehicle dynamics, and use those telemetry figures to determine if/when an airbag needs to be deployed during a crash.

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News

Dainese Confirms Rumors of Investor Talks

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Speaking to the VeneziePost (subscription required in order to read the article), Dainese Founder Lino Dainese has confirmed the news we broke last month about the Italian apparel manufacturer being in talks for investment, or possible acquisition.

According to the report, Dainese says the company came close to inking a deal with an unnamed private equity group, but terminated the talks because the parties could not come to terms with their agreement.

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News

Dainese & MIT Team Up to Protect Astronauts

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MIT Professor Dava Newman wants to build better astronaut suits. The modern spacesuit, while highly protective and functional, presents unique problems with regards to the pressures exerted on the human body.

Prof. Newman’s research, with the help of the Dainese Technology Center and with the backing of NASA, aims to highlight specific problem areas for redesign the body and suit interface.

With the resources available at D-Tec in Italy, MIT engineer Allison Anderosn along with Dainese engineers have created a suit undergarment that utilizes sensors to detect pressure points (impact and abrasion).

The results of the study will be made available to other space agencies, with the Russian space agency being among the first to benefit.

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Rumors

Rumor: Dainese up for Sale?

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Motorcycle industry gossip is at a fever pitch this week with speculation that Italian motorcycle apparel manufacturer Dainese is up for sale. Adding credence to that rumors, Asphalt & Rubber has received a number of tips about the possible sale of the company, with a private investment group cited as a possible buyer.

When we approached with this information, Dainese simply said that rumors were simply that, rumors. However it is worth noting that at the helm of the company for the past few months has been interim-CEO Federico Minoli, the same man that lead Ducati Motor Holding to being acquired by Texas Pacific Group, and later took the Italian motorcycle manufacturer public on the New York Stock Exchange.

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Racing

Video: Guy & Thomas Visit Valentino Rossi’s Ranch

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It’s hard to out-do King Kenny, the godfather of Ameircan road racing, but Valentino Rossi is certainly making a go at it. For those that haven’t been to Roberts’ ranch out in Modesto, California, the three-time GP Champion and AMA Grand Slam winner has a very lovely flat-track course in his backyard, where he teaches the rich, and coaches the fast.

Well, the idea must have struck a chord with nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi, as The Doctor has built his own race course outside of his home town of Tavullia, Italy. Rossi’s proving ground isn’t just some ordinary oval though, and instead is an undulating circuit that can be configured a multitude of ways.

Playing host to fellow Dainese-sponsored riders Guy Martin (of Isle of Man TT road racing fame) and Thomas Chareyre (the current Supermoto World Champion), Rossi and friends spent a day riding together while the cameras were rolling. This is how the super-rich and super-fast spend their weekends. It’s a good life.

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Racing

Dainese’s The TT Trilogy – Part 3: The Legend

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The final installment in Dainese’s TT Trilogy, “The Legend” appropriately features famous World Superbike racer Carl Fogarty. Talking first about The Fairy Bridge and the supersitituions that motorcycle racers have, Fogarty goes on to explain how important the Isle of Man TT is to him, as a former racer of the course.

We couldn’t agree more with his assessment of how laid back and approachable the TT paddock is for fans and racers — it truly is the best part of the two-week long show. With famous names trolling Glencrutchery Road every day, it isn’t just movie magic to see a legend like Foggy talking to riders, and signing a few autographs for fans. Mega.

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Racing

Dainese’s The TT Trilogy – Part 2: The Race

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The second installment of Dainese’s little Isle of Man TT video series, we get to hear from Milwaukee Yamaha rider Conor Cummins. “You should be fully focused on the road ahead, because it bites hard,” says Cummins in the video. No rider should know the truth of those words better than Conor, as in the 2010 TTT the Manx man had a horrific crash that he was lucky to survive.

Back to full-health now, Cummins clocked a third in the Lightweight TT, a fifth in the Superbike TT, and a fifteenth in the second Supersport TT. The fastest Manx rider ever around the Isle of Man’s Mountain Course, Cummins is the pride of the Isle, and a serious contender in any race he enters.

However, Milwaukee Yamaha didn’t get the results they wanted this year, but you can’t rule Cummins out for 2014. As he says himself,  “we’re not going racing to finish second. We’re going to win.”

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Racing

Dainese’s The TT Trilogy – Part 1: The Island

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It looks like Dainese, one of the main sponsors of the Isle of Man TT, is gearing up to do a series of short videos about the famous road race (you may have seen our coverage of the 2013 Isle of Man TT thus far). The first installment, simply titled “The Island”, captures perhaps the most important, yet most difficult element to describe: the allure of the Isle of Man TT.

A little rock in the middle of the Irish Sea, the views from the countryside and mountain tops are breathtaking, the Manx people are warm and hospitable, and the racing, well…the racing is unlike anything you have ever seen. That all seems to come through here, and we can’t wait to see the rest of what the Italian company has to offer from The Rock. Good stuff.

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Racing

Q&A: Kevin Schwantz Talks COTA, MotoGP, & the Future of American Road Racing

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The Thursday before the start of the Grand Prix of the Americas, Asphalt & Rubber was part of a quick event put on by Dainese and Ducati Austin, which allowed fans to meet Kevin Schwantz. Before the start of that evening’s meet-and-greet, I got to sit down with the former 500cc World Champion, and pick his brain not only about the current events happening with the Circuit of the Americas, but also about what was occurring on a larger scale within the American road racing scene.

While Mr. Schwantz could only provide limited answers about what was going on with the Texan track and his ongoing litigation with the circuit, his opinions on MotoGP and AMA Pro Racing were insightful, and serve as a serious warning about the state of American road racing not only here in the US, but also abroad in the various World Championships. It is a bit of a long read (Mr. Schwantz was more than generous with his time), but I think you will enjoy the exchange and perspective he shared during the interview.

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Products

Marco Simoncelli AGV Replica Helmet

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UPDATE: The Simoncelli Tribute helmet will be available in the US in the GP-Tech only. They should be in stores any day now, with an MSRP of $749.95.

It has been over a year since we lost Marco Simoncelli, though it is clear from MotoGP’s revisiting of the Malaysian GP this year that his memory is alive and well. Helping commemorate Marco’s spirit, AGV Helmets is releasing more accurate re-styled Marco Simoncelli replica helmets that have been authorized by the Simoncelli family.

Incorporating the San Carlo logo on the chin guard, the Dainese logo on the top of the shell, a heart with the colors of the Japanese flag on the back, and Marco’s 58 racing number on the temple, the helmet is basically identical to the one that SuperSic wore during the 2011 MotoGP Championship season.

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Products

The Dainese D-Air Racing Airbag Suit Comes to America

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Getting a look at Dainese & AGV’s 2012 collection, Asphalt & Rubber was down in Orange County earlier this week to see the highly anticipated Dainese D-Air Racing leather suit, which has a four liter airbag system that helps reduce the risk of injury during a motorcycle crash.

Dainese has been working on the D-Air Racing system for 10 years now, and after soft-launching the airbag suit in Europe, the Italian company is ready to bring the game-changing technology to American soil.

If you watch MotoGP or World Superbike, you have likely already seen the roughly one pound (650 grams) D-Air Racing suit at work, as riders like Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Stefan Bradl, Leon Haslam, and Max Biaggi have been wearing Dainese’s airbag leathers while racing, and have also been providing the company with feedback on the D-Air’s design and development.

In addition to deploying an airbag that protects a rider’s neck, chest, and shoulders, the Dainese D-Air system also provides a telemetry package that track riders can use in lieu of a basic motorcycle data acquisition system.

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