Dainese D-air®: from the racing world to city streets, at last! In 2010 Dainese takes a big step forward in the development of the D-air® system, thanks also to the precious data collected during the Tourist Trophy A new phase in the D-air® Project has begun: the racing system is ready for market launching and now it’s the road system’s turn the most ambitious objective pursued by the Molvena company since 2000. Years of study, design and testing on race tracks and test circuits working closely with Dainese riders, from established world champions to budding talents, have finally come to fruition with the D-air® racing system. Competition has always offered a precious test bench for check-ups on the design and modifications required: the spills suffered by Marco Simoncelli, Michi Ranseder’s high sides, and the constant commitment of Jorge Lorenzo have all accelerated product development times enormously. The ideal setting for the fusion of the racing and road versions is the Isle of Man: the Tourist Trophy is the “missing link”, the obligatory point of passage for the integration of the know-how acquired with the development of the D-air® racing system to the road system version. Together with Guy Martin, Dainese has been conducting tests on the Mountain Course since 2007. The first two years were dedicated to collecting the data required for the development of the racing version with the airbag system built into Martin’s suit. This permitted precious information to be acquired in the performance of the system on an uneven circuit like the TT, a very different terrain than those on Moto GP circuits. This year instead, the Lincolnshire racer will be equipped with a different data acquisition system specifically studied for the collection of the information necessary for the road version. Jorge Lorenzo and Guy Martin are therefore the two Dainese racers protagonists of the ambitious D-air® Project who have made and continue making great contributions in propulsion of its growth. Their meeting at the TT is an important symbol of the continuity of the development of both systems. In its third year of sponsorship of the Tourist Trophy as Safety Partner, Dainese confirms the importance of competition for Research & Development activity oriented to the technological innovation and the improvement of dynamic sports protection systems. In this sense, the circuit on the Isle of Man acquires fundamental relevance: no longer as a dangerous race to be prohibited, but as a courageous and real test ground in which information can be gathered and tangible progress can be made in ensuring greater safety for one and all.