A scary high-speed crash that occurred down the main straight at the Sepang circuit during MotoGP testing earlier this week saw Avintia Racing rider Loris Baz walk away, thanks to the deployment of his Alpinestars Tech-Air Race airbag racing suit.
Baz noted some pain in his right arm and neck; however, it was not serious enough to keep him from taking his number 76 Ducati on the track the following day to complete testing for the Avintia MotoGP team.
“The first is that I am very glad I was able to ride today after yesterday's crash,” said Baz. “I woke up with pain in the neck and my right arm, but once on the bike I missed everything… To be the first test of the year with everything that happened yesterday and the time we lost, I think the result was positive. I really want to go to Australia, I love the circuit and also let in summer so the track will be perfect.”
Details on the crash from Alpinestars state that Baz crashed at a speed of around 290 km/h during the morning session of the opening MotoGP 2016 season test, at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, on Tuesday February 2nd.
The accident happened which caused a loss of control, after a period of around 1.9 seconds, caused Loris to be launched from the bike. The Alpinestars Tech-Air Race airbag system, housed within his leather suit, deployed when Loris was launched and then the first impact with the track took place 60 milliseconds later with the highest energy impact recorded at 29.9g’s on his left shoulder.
From the moment that Loris impacted the track, the duration of the slide lasted for 6.6 seconds. Despite the speed and level of impact force associated with the crash, Loris was able to walk away and resume testing.