ALPINESTARS REVEALS THE ALL-NEW SUPERTECH R10 ROAD RACING HELMET LAUNCH EDITION
Asolo, Italy and Los Angeles, CA – Alpinestars is pleased to present the all-new Supertech R10 Road Racing Helmet Launch Edition. The result of over 10 years of intensive study, development, and testing, the goal of the Supertech family of helmets is to create the most advanced, protective, and performance-enhancing helmets possible for racers and riders worldwide.
After years of research, development, and testing of the S-R10 with Alpinestars’ Helmet Product Development Department and alongside MotoGP LEGEND Andrea Dovizioso and MotoGP riders Jorge Martin, and Jack Miller, Alpinestars is launching an exclusive numbered series of S-R10 Launch Edition Road Racing Helmets. With the S-R10, the focus of the design was to ensure the highest level of performance, especially when it comes to protection and providing a new level of safety. The S-R10 Helmet has been engineered to provide the perfect blend of excellent ventilation, unsurpassed comfort, and the lightest weight possible, without compromising on any other front. Another crucial element unique to the S-R10’s design and development is the helmet’s advanced aerodynamics, with countless sessions in the wind tunnel focused on reducing drag and providing optimal aerodynamic stability.
The S-R10 Helmet Launch Edition comes in dark candy red sublimated by vibrant red accents, and a carbon glossy colorway, where dark candy red ink has been incorporated in the clear coating and manually sprayed on the carbon helmet to create a unique grading effect. The Alpinestars’ branding on the helmet is subtle, providing intense contrasting energy to the helmet, where a glossy layer has been applied to give it a unique shiny look. The internal helmet lining is handcrafted in Italy.
The S-R10 Helmet Launch Edition in the Red Carbon Glossy colorway will be available for purchase on alpinestars.com starting at 6 pm CET / 9 am PST on July 10th, with a limited numbered series of 200 units. Accessories provided with the S-R10 Helmet Launch Edition include two separate race and standard spoilers, clear and dark smoke visors, tear-offs set, Pinlock lens, the chin curtain, wind, and breath deflectors, and all can be stored comfortably in the paddock helmet bag provided.
“I could not be more pleased with the new S-R10 helmet. From the get-go, I have been very, very comfortable with the helmet. The amount of visibility is unrivalled and the aerodynamics of the S-R10 helmet combined with the leather suit are amazing in terms of speed and comfortability. It’s incredible how light the helmet is and truly amazing that with the carbon fiber, they’ve been able to reduce the weight without compromising safety. It is a true honor to be able to wear the S-R10 helmet.” – JACK MILLER, MotoGP
“Starting with the new S-R10 helmet this season with Alpinestars, has been an amazing journey. Working on the development of the S-R10 together with Alpinestars, we’ve done a great job, an amazing job – the helmet feels great, it’s super comfortable, and it fits my head perfectly. I feel like it’s the best comfort I’ve ever had in a helmet in my entire career. Ventilation is also great especially in the hot races, when it’s extremely hot, I feel great. The helmet is also very lightweight. I don’t get tired while using it, and when I’m doing long distances in the races, I feel super good. In addition, the field of vision is great which is important when going 360 km/h into the corner where I can see well, and I feel especially good.” – Jorge Martin, MotoGP
“Alpinestars’ new S-R10 MotoGP-derived helmet is very aerodynamic, and at high speeds it feels ultra-lightweight and stable; and that is reassuring. The field of vision is incredible. The view the S-R10 offers feels super ‘widescreen’ and you can see a huge amount in all directions. That is a massive positive and is probably its most important feature. The S-R10 has an advanced design and I think it is a really good helmet to wear. Not only is it very comfortable, but it’s also super ventilated.” – Andrea Dovizioso, MotoGP
SUPERTECH R10 HELMET TECHNICAL FEATURES
OUTER SHELL
CARBON SHELL CONSTRUCTION MULTI-LAYER COMPOSITE DISPERSES ENERGY IN IMPACTS
Homologated to ECE 22.06, DOT, and FIM standards, the Supertech R10’s shell construction utilizes a highly advanced molding technology with a multi-composite combination featuring a 3K high-density carbon outer layer, a uni-directional carbon composite layer, an aramid fiber layer, and a fiberglass layer.
The 3K high-density carbon outer layer provides excellent strength and efficiency of energy dissipation over the shell. The uni-directional (UD) carbon composite layer provides significantly greater radial strength around the shell, preventing compression, but allowing controlled deflection for reducing transmitted impact energy, while the aramid fiber plus fiberglass layers provide critical penetration protection.
This layered composite combination created by bonding everything together with an advanced epoxy resin already applied on the pre-preg fiber, perfectly controls the ideal proportion of resin versus fiber to maximize strength, mechanical performance, and lightweight. The combination of material layers provides improved energy management, as well as limited outer shell deflection, making the energy spread wider and better absorbed by the EPS liner.
The S-R10’s unique shell construction results in extremely effective impact protection. With a fully equipped in-house helmet testing facility within Alpinestars’ state-of-the-art Research and Development center, the company has carried out an exhaustive impact research program, where research and development efforts have shown the S-R10 helmet returning linear and oblique impact performance results which far exceed current ECE 22.06 helmet regulation standard limits. For direct linear impacts, which are impacts at a 90-degree angle between the helmet and an object, the S-R10 surpasses the standard by an average magnitude of 37%. And for rotational acceleration and oblique impact performance, where impact energy comes from an angle other than a linear 90-degree, or right-angle straight impact, the S-R10 exceeds the standard by 65%.
INNER SHELL
THE S-R10’S INNER SHELL IS MADE FROM EPS IN DIFFERENT DENSITIES
The S-R10 Helmet has four inner shells just like the outer shell, and is available in four anatomical sizes. The S-R10’s construction is optimized to ensure riders have the correct fit, which not only improves comfort and reduces overall weight but most importantly, improves the effectiveness of the helmet in an impact. Underneath the helmet’s outer shell is an eight-piece multi-density EPS liner, with six specific densities that are strategically positioned in different zones to ensure excellent energy absorption from impact forces dissipated over the outer shell, as well as a close and comfortable fit. The EPS liner, just like the outer shell, has its own unique dimension for each helmet size, further tailoring the helmet’s performance and fit when it comes to protection and comfort.
LINEAR AND OBLIQUE FORCE MANAGEMENT
The EPS inner surface is smooth, creating an optimized, low-friction area, for superior oblique impact management. When it comes to other types of helmet testing, the best helmets are those that provide protection against rotational, as well as oblique and linear impact forces.
To help fight and mitigate those rotational, oblique, and linear impact forces, Alpinestars has designed a low-friction surface on the inner surface of the EPS liner. The inner surface is polished to be incredibly smooth, and then specially coated to reduce friction even further, allowing the comfort liner to move against the EPS. The result is increased rotational and oblique and linear force management, allowing the rider’s head to move independently inside of the helmet, or vice-versa, which can significantly reduce the amount of force transmitted to the head, neck, brain, and spine from an oblique impact, while simultaneously reducing the possibility of a concussion. To recap, specific rotational impact protection is provided by the combination of the internal shape and the specific coating of the EPS liner, coupled with the specially developed surface in the comfort liner. This patented technology reduces rotational acceleration transmitted to the rider’s head.
A-HEAD FITMENT SYSTEM
Adding to the personalization and custom, tailor-made fit of the S-R10, is the helmet’s unique and patented A-Head Fitment System. The A-Head System allows the helmet to be tuned exactly to the rider’s preference by having the ability to adjust both the height and angle at which the helmet sits on the head. The EPS is fitted with the A-Head Fitment System that allows for an ultra-specific setup that can be adapted to how deep the rider’s head sits in the helmet, as well as how far forward or backward the helmet is tilted.
AERODYNAMICS
DEVELOPED WITH CFD SIMULATIONS, VALIDATED IN THE WIND TUNNEL AND ON TRACK, THE S-R10 HELMET IS OPTIMIZED FOR LOW DRAG PERFORMANCE AND MAXIMUM AERODYNAMIC STABILITY
The S-R10 has been developed in the full-scale wind tunnel since the beginning of its development. Aerodynamic targets for the coefficient of drag in different head positions, as well as stability at different angles were a primary goal in the helmet shape development, first extensively developed with Computational Fluid Dynamics, then validated in the full-scale wind tunnel, and finally on track. The result is a helmet that achieves the lowest level of drag, and the highest level of aerodynamic stability at high speed compared to any other race helmet that we have tested in the wind gallery. This has made the S-R10 already the helmet of choice by factory MotoGP teams for its top aero performance. Road riders will likely benefit from this too, with reduced strain on their necks at high speed and low levels of wind noise.
The S-R10 Helmet comes with two separate aerodynamic spoilers – a standard, and longer race version – and they’re both fitted with an Alpinestars patented release system, with elastic joints that help the spoiler detach from the helmet shell if it is subjected to a significant impact, no matter the angle, to reduce potential rotational energy.
The helmet also comes with lateral winglets to further support the S-R10’s stability and improve aerodynamic drag. In addition, the helmet visor has turbulators to improve aero-acoustic performance. As a result, compared to the aerodynamic performance of the helmet fitted with the standard road spoiler, the S-R10 itself is already the top-performing, aerodynamic helmet we have tested, and with the configuration of the race spoiler and the aero winglets together, we have achieved a reduction in drag by an additional 4.54%.
VENTILATION
THE SUPERTECH R10 HELMET CONTAINS ELEVEN VENTILATION POINTS
When it comes to ventilation and breathability, there are 11 ventilation ports, not including the eyeport, with 7 intakes including 3 in the chinguard and 4 on the top of the helmet, plus 4 exhausts, with 2 lateral ports on the chin bar, and 2 on the top rear of the helmet. These ventilation ports integrate directly with the helmet’s shell with a series of air ducts through the inner EPS liner. With the S-R10, airflow comes in through the ports, as well as actively circulates over and around the rider’s head through a series of channels, and then gets extracted out the back of the helmet.
The top vent features a large central slider that channels air down to the top of the head for better comfort, which when open, has vents for hot air extraction from the rider’s forehead. Under the rear spoiler, there are two extractor vents for effective hot air exhausting. The chin vents are formed by two openings located at the front of the helmet at the sides of the shield lock mechanism, where each flap has a tab in the corner, which is used to open or close the vent. Air entering from this point is channeled towards the inner side of the shields, creating a laminated flow of air that effectively prevents fogging and misting. In addition, the chin bar vents are used to extract humid air to the outside of the helmet.
SHIELD FEATURES
THE SHIELD MECHANISM IS FITTED WITH METAL LOCK COMPONENTS TO PREVENT UNWANTED SHIELD DETACHMENT DURING IMPACTS, LOCKED IN THE CLOSED POSITION BY A FRONT METAL LOCK
The visor has two unique features including a metal locking mechanism lever to prevent unwanted shield detachment during impacts and/or crashes, plus a lowered side line for a maximized field of view, coming on top of an already outstanding wide eyeport providing 220-degrees of lateral and 57-degrees of vertical visibility for great riding comfort. The shield attaches to the shell via side cams mechanisms, allowing the shield to rotate and to move, in order to seal it completely against the helmet’s rubber window trim.
Additionally, the visor itself can be easily changed or removed thanks to its secure and tool-less quick-release system. The S-R10 is fitted with an Optical Class 1 shield, 3mm in thickness, and coated with an anti-scratch and anti-fog treatment. The shield is equipped with internal pins to accommodate a PINLOCK 120XLT – 100 % MAX VISION lens and external pins to accommodate tear-offs.
REMOVABLE LINING
LININGS ARE REMOVABLE AND WASHABLE, AND FEATURE FABRICS WITH ANTI-MICROBIAL TREATMENTS
Crown Pad: The crown pad and the neck pad are elastically connected, for enhanced oblique impact management, with a construction based on four panels (front, sides, rear), for an optimized fit with the proper foam thickness.
Top Pad: The top pad is removable and height adjustable via the A-Head Fitment System.
Cheek Pads: The cheek pads are fitted with premium foam and fabrics, offering comfort and breathability. The cheek pads also feature an emergency extraction system, allowing the side cheek padding to be easily removed by trackside support and medical staff, and they also have a channel for the installation of a hydration system.
CHIN BAR PROFILE
Another outer shell design protection feature is the chin bar’s profile, where the base area has been specifically sculpted to give a relief section. The bottom profile is raised to clear the collarbone, and instead of the hard carbon shell coming into potential contact with the collarbone, the S-R10 has a softer EPP (expanded Polypropilene) liner which extends beyond the helmet shell itself, and is covered by a more flexible rubber compound. This chin bar design provides a reduced chance of any sort of collarbone injury, one of the more common injuries in motorcycling.
WEIGHT
And finally, when it comes to weight, the ECE / DOT / FIM certified Supertech R10 helmet tips the scales at an impressive 1,540 grams for a size medium, or 3.4 pounds, providing the S-R10 with an extremely high performance to protection to weight ratio.
ABOUT ALPINESTARS
Alpinestars was established in 1963 and is the world-leading manufacturer of professional racing products, motorcycling airbag protection, high-performance apparel, and technical footwear. Alpinestars understands that the best design and research are achieved under extreme conditions. The company’s involvement in Formula 1, NASCAR, AMA, World Motocross, and MotoGP has led to the creation of the most advanced technical equipment for the racing world’s top athletes. ALPINESTARS PROTECTS.
