Italian bikemaker Ducati->ke622 and motorcycle accessory manufacturer Dainese became the latest recipients of the “Professor Ferdinand Porsche” award in recognition of their roles in developing the latter’s D

Air rider airbag, considered as the best personal airbag deployment system in the market today. The system is available in the Ducati Multistrada 1200S D

Air->ke1936, which itself made history as the first mass-produced motorcycle to receive the same award.


Federico Sabbioni, Head of Vehicle Project Management at Ducati and Luigi Ronco, Head of Research and Development at Dainese, received the award late last week a the Vienna University from Professor Bernhard Geringer, director of the Institute for Vehicle Engines and Automotive Technology at Vienna University of Technology and the coordinator of the Committee of Organisers of the “Porsche Award”.

Both Ducati and Dainese were recognised for their roles in developing one of the most innovative technologies in the automotive segment. It’s an even bigger accomplishment for the two companies since the award is normally won by people from the automotive industry. Back in 2013, Dr. Magnus Mackaldener, development engineer at Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania took home the award. Past winners also include Dr. Wolfgang Huhn of Audi for the development and use of new LED lighting technology in automobiles and Prof. Herbert Kohler of Daimler AG for his role in developing lithium ion batteries for automotive applications.

Evidently, Sabbioni and Ronco are now in good company for spearheading the move to provide a safer environment for riders, especially those competing in any one of the high-octane motorcycle racing series in the calendar. Dainese's D

Air rider airbag is on the verge of changing the definition of airbag systems, including its capability to provide full deployment and inflation in just 45 milliseconds.


Continue reading to read more about Ducati and Dainese’s new “Professor Ferdinand Porsche” award.

Why it matters

I kind of knew it was coming, even thought I didn’t think it was actually going to happen. Dainese’s new D

Air airbag system has made some serious waves in the industry to the point that other manufacturers are already using it for their own products.


That’s the ultimate sign of respect and admiration in my book. Companies like Furygan and Virgos, who produce their own line of motorcycle apparel and accessories, are effectively using the technology of one of their rivals. Here’s the best part: more manufacturers, or competitors, are also expected to follow suit, further validating the D

Air airbag system as the benchmark for this type of technology in the motorcycle and automotive segments.


Ducati also gets a serious nod of approval for being one of the first motorcycle companies to realize the full potential of the D

Air airbag system and incorporate it into its own products.


That’s where the Multistrada 1200S D

Air comes into the picture. The system present on the bike is integrated with the motorcycle and communicates with Ducati’s very own D

air jackets, which, in case you’ve noticed, also comes with Dainese’s state-of-the-art airbag technology.


I’m really happy for Dainese and Ducati because of the enormous contributions both have made for the industry as a whole. But something tells me that the race to build the best airbag system isn just getting started with Dainese and long-time rival Alpinestars. The latter is one of the few - maybe only - competitors that is unlikely to use the D

Air technology because it already has one of its own in the Tech-Air system. And if Dainese is getting all these accolades, you can be sure that Alpinestars isn’t going to let this one pass without putting up a fight.


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