{"id":277719,"date":"2025-04-09T08:18:30","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T08:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/09\/motogp-bharat-how-do-riders-walk-away-unscathed-even-after-scary-looking-crashes-at-high-speeds\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T08:18:30","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T08:18:30","slug":"motogp-bharat-how-do-riders-walk-away-unscathed-even-after-scary-looking-crashes-at-high-speeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/09\/motogp-bharat-how-do-riders-walk-away-unscathed-even-after-scary-looking-crashes-at-high-speeds\/","title":{"rendered":"MotoGP Bharat: How do riders walk away unscathed even after scary-looking crashes at high speeds?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"MotoGP<\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

When MotoGP rider Jack Miller thinks back to the start of his Grand Prix career over a decade ago, he remembers all the scary-looking crashes. And the broken bones.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhen I started out my grand prix career, I constantly suffered from broken collar bones. But I haven\u2019t had one in a long time,\u201d Miller, who races for Red Bull KTM, tells The Indian Express<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The reason behind this turnaround is not because Miller has stopped crashing \u2014 he was involved in one just earlier this month at San Marino with another rider, Michele Pirro. Miller\u2019s collar bones \u2014 and the rest of him \u2014 are safer these days than when he started over a decade ago because of nifty advancements in safety equipment in the sport, particularly the airbags that are now mandatory since 2018, inside race suits of riders. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an amazing time to be a part of the sport. No burns, not as many injuries, and a very, very quick turnaround time when we\u2019re talking about coming off a crash. The reason I haven\u2019t had broken collar bones in recent seasons is simply down to the airbag which deploys over the shoulder and helps you keep your upper body safe,\u201d Miller adds. <\/p>\n

The airbags that Miller is talking about are tiny little things tucked into the kangaroo leather suits that deploy when a rider has a bad crash. In essence, there is a tiny explosion in the rider\u2019s suit, which puffs up.<\/p>\n

But what makes the tiny airbags even more incredible is the fact that they are operated by built-in accelerometers and gyroscopes which instruct the airbags to deploy in a few milliseconds to protect the upper body of the rider.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIf we look back to the 1970s, riders then were almost wearing just leather pants and a leather jacket. But we\u2019re fortunate enough to wear equipment like deploying airbags and so on. It gives you an extra boost in terms of peace of mind. You know it has your back,\u201d says Miller. <\/p>\n

The other piece of equipment that Miller swears by in a sport where riders can touch speeds of 300 kmph is the helmet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been a firm believer in putting something very good on your head. You only have one of them, and getting that to heal is very difficult. Having all these amazing bits of equipment that help prevent injuries and help us get up back on the bike as soon as possible has always been a big key factor for me,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

How riders turn at those crazy angles<\/h2>\n

\"MotoGP A close-up of the elbow slider on the arm of Jack Miller, who races for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team. (PHOTO: Red Bull)<\/span><\/p>\n

When race weekend at the MotoGP Bharat comes around on Sunday, first-time watchers of the event are likely to be bewildered by just how riders can lean so perilously close to the track on turns, with their knees \u2014 and even their elbows now, thanks to Marc Marquez \u2014 rubbing against the track. Riders have been turning with their knees close to the ground ever since Kenny Roberts employed the technique in 1978!<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Riders are able to pull off those angles thanks to plastic \u2018sliders\u2019 they wear on their knees and now on their elbows as well.<\/p>\n

The idea of the slider is to literally help the rider slide effortlessly on the asphalt because the leather will grip the track. In the case of crashes too, the sliders help the riders roll off the track, often out of harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n

\u201cNowadays, the safety equipment that we need to use mandatorily is at an extremely high level. Of course, you\u2019re trying to minimise the risk as much as possible. But at the end of the day, we\u2019re all trying to get the maximum out of the bike,\u201d says Miller, before adding: \u201cSafe<\/em> is not really in the job description.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n