NEWS

ALPINESTARS SUPERTECH M10 ALLOY HELMET

The result of over five years of intensive study, development and testing; Alpinestars Supertech M10 motocross helmet made its race debut at the Anaheim Supercross, in January 2018.

ALPINESTARS SUPERTECH M10 ALLOY HELMET -

At the outset of the MX helmet project, Alpinestars product philosophy was applied and a set of specific objectives set: • Create the most advanced, protective and performance enhancing helmet possible. • Primary objective: protection – to create the most high performance protection possible. • Secondary objective: to give excellent ventilation, comfort and reduced weight. Alpinestars approach to the creation of the advanced technology in the Supertech M10 draws on its depth of experience from over half a decade of world class innovation across the spectrum of motorsports and especially, its deep rooted commitment to motocross.

As with all other categories of technology that Alpinestars has mastered, bringing a new, highly complex, product to fruition requires specialist experience and know-how and a project plan led by the best brains in protection development. Hence Alpinestars Helmet Development Department was created and given the brief to research and develop the most protective, most comfortable and lightest possible motocross helmet. The goal was to allow riders to push the limits of performance, benefiting from confidence inspiring safety technology, reduced weight distribution to minimise muscular effort in the neck, shoulders and back and improved physiological and cognitive performance with a supremely well fitting and well ventilated construction, optimizing comfort while riding. The design is coherent to Alpinestars philosophy and shares distinctive themes with other products in the portfolio; a smooth, attractive, profile which is streamlined and free of any external channels and features that might act as a load point in an impact, or compromise the overall integrity of the construction. The surface curvature promotes reduced friction on impact, allowing deflection and the most efficient transfer of energy to protect the rider’s head from direct force to the skull and referred to the neck and spinal column. The aperture is designed to accommodate a wide variety of goggles and the air vents in the shell are located to maximize ventilation efficiency. The S-M10 shell has been profiled with performance as a priority and with a design style that identifies the profile of the helmet and its sculpted surface as uniquely ‘Alpinestars’. Another key feature is the S-M10 shell sizing solution; each helmet fit size has its own appropriate shell size to deliver the most anatomical solution for the wide variety of fit needs worldwide.

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KEY FEATURES

• The S-M10 visor release mechanism is conceived to avoid the inherent weaknesses in other types of anchoring systems. Maintaining shell integrity is vital for safety and with the possibility of multi-directional forces impacting on the visor, separation at the critical point of loading reduces potentially damaging leverage and rotational accelerations that refer injury to the rider’s neck and spine.

• The base of the S-M10 has been sculpted to give a relief section, where the bottom profile is raised to clear the collarbone (Clavicle). Also, incorporated into the area of the base pad, where it sits over the rider’s collarbone, is an energy absorbtion pad; a more flexible compound rubber section which allows deflection when it contacts the Clavicle.

• The Supertech M10 chin-bar is formed with polypropylene which, by allowing for a degree of lateral deflection, further improves impact protection for the collarbones.

• A low friction ‘slip’ layer is incorporated into the Supertech M10 helmet, between the comfort padding layer and the multi-density polymer energy absorption shell. When energy is impacted upon the helmet, causing a rotation force, the MIPS layer allows for movement of the inner absorbtion layer to damp and re-direct the energy before causing significant acceleration stress to the brain. This mitigates the causes of brain injuries, such as concussion.

• The side cheek padding of the S-M10 can be extracted efficiently and safely, while the helmet is still on the rider’s head, to allow ease of removal by trackside support and medical staff.

• Along with the ERS padding removal, ‘Eject’ allows for emergency removal of the helmet, without putting load on the rider’s spine.

ALPINESTARS SUPERTECH M10 ALLOY HELMET -

• The visor design of the S-M10 is also an integral part of the ventilation system as it is profiled to direct airflow, acting as a channel to concentrate and smooth the flow into the shell. The Supertech M10 liner design is formed to optimize airflow channeling around the rider’s head before being extracted from the S-M10 through rear exhaust vents to ensure positive pressure is maintained with constant airflow while riding.

• Chin-strap: Wider than certification requirement: 26 mm for comfort and produced with a woven poly yarn to give a soft ‘hand’ feel that connects securely with a double D-ring.

• MIPS is incorporated into the Supertech M10 to reduce rotational motion energies that impact the helmet causing damaging gyration force to be transmitted to the brain.

• Weight is both a factor in riding performance and safety in a helmet and to ensure the S-M10 offers the ultimate in weight saving performance enhancement, the material selection, preparation and construction of the helmet has been rigorously analysed for weight to strength and energy absorbtion properties and a strict analysis of all the components used in the Supertech M10 finishing.

ALPINESTARS SUPERTECH M10 ALLOY HELMET -

• The Supertech M10 helmet lining design includes canals which allow a tube to be incorporated on either side of the shell. This is a feature extensively tested by Alpinestars rally raid and enduro riders enabling convenient fitting and connection to a hydration system.

• Removable liner cover is washable and features a cool-max fabric interior and anti-bacterial talent yarn for long-lasting freshness and quick-dry performance between riding sessions. Helmet features TPE coating washable surfaces to improve maintenance and increase durability.Additional cheek pad set offering increased thickness of +5mm, for tighter fit adjustment – available separately.

ALPINESTARS SUPERTECH M10 ALLOY HELMET -