Alpinestars® – Supertech S-M10 Alloy Off-Road Helmet

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 minimize 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 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 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.

CONSTRUCTION

• Safety: Supertech M10 Construction
• 3K Carbon, high density carbon outer layer that improves strength and efficiency of energy dissipation over the shell
• Uni-directional carbon composite layer that gives significantly greater radial strength around the shell, preventing compression but allowing controlled deflection for reducing transmitted impact energy
• Aramid fiber layer which provides critical penetration protection
• This combination of layers is given even greater performance with an epoxy resin bonding that offers the best possible strength and energy management; limited outer shell deflection means the energy spreads wider and is better absorbed by the EPS liner
• The result of the unique shell lay-up process employed in the S-M10 construction results in extremely effective impact protection. With a fully equipped helmet testing facility, within Alpinestars Racing Development Center, an exhaustive impact research program has resulted in the Supertech M10 returning linear and oblique impact performance which far improves upon current helmet regulation standard limits. For direct, linear, impact by an average magnitude of 41% and for rotational acceleration, oblique, impact performance by an average of 48%
• S-M10 in four anatomical shell sizes
• The Supertech M10 shell construction is optimized to offer best fit across the range of four size options. Shell sizes are manufactured in small, medium, large and extra-large to ensure that riders have the correct fit which not only improves comfort but, most importantly, the effectiveness of the helmet in an impact
• The Supertech M10 liner construction combines with the shell to offer highly efficient impact energy management
• Formed with a multi-density EPS polymer, the energy absorbing layer gives an inner helmet profile which soaks up impact forces dissipated over the outer shell at the point of an impact and provides a shape offering a close and comfortable fit
• The energy absorption performance of the S-M10 is substantially improved by a four section construction that allows for specific densities of polymer to be prepared for different zones around the helmet lining. Not only is energy performance improved but also fit and comfort

PROTECTION

• Collarbone protection is an important design feature of the Supertech M10 helmet shell base profile
• 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
• Post-crash protection mechanisms are also a key feature of the Supertech M10 design, allowing rapid and safe intervention if the rider has suffered a major impact
• Multi-Directional Impact Protection System: MIPS
• 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
• 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
• Emergency Release System (ERS)
• 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
• The Supertech M10 is also designed to allow a helmet ‘Eject’ inflation system to be fitted into the inside crown of the shell
• Along with the ERS padding removal, ‘Eject’ allows for emergency removal of the helmet, without putting load on the rider’s spine
• 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
• Weight: Reduced by design while allowing the Supertech M10 protection to be class-leading
• 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
• Weight of S-M10 is 1240g for size Medium (ECE) – 1340g for size Medium (DOT)
• The Supertech M10 Certifications
• The Supertech M10 helmet versions conform to both DOT certification and ECE homologation for use worldwide
• The DOT 218 standard prescribes specific impact penetration protection over the crown of the helmet area and hence, for the US and Canada markets, the Supertech M10 will feature technology that substantially exceedes the minimum safety requirements