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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorsport clothing Action sports clothing Casual clothing MXD |
| Founded | 1963 (60 years ago) |
| Founder | Sante Mazzarolo |
| Headquarters | , Italy |
Number of locations | 3 (2010) |
Key people | Gabriele Mazzarolo |
| Divisions | Astars authentic ind |
| Website | alpinestars |
Alpinestars is an Italianmotorsports andaction sports safety equipment manufacturer based inAsolo, Italy. Its lines include specialized products forMotoGP,motocross,motorcycling,Formula One,World Rally Championship,WEC,V8 Supercars,NASCAR,mountain biking, andsurfing, and motorsports-themed, non-sports clothing. The company has fashion design centers inItaly andCalifornia offering products for men, women and children.[1]
Founded in 1963 by Sante Mazzarolo in Asolo, Italy, the company started out making hiking and ski boots, but quickly shifted its focus to makingmotorcycle boots for motocross racing, and road racing boots shortly thereafter. The company's name comes from the English translation of the Italian mountain flowerStella Alpina (Edelweiss), which grows high in the mountains around the area where the company was founded. The company sponsored motorsport world champions such asNicky Hayden,Roger DeCoster,Kenny Roberts,Mick Doohan andMarc Márquez. During the 1990s the company branched out into manufacturing all types of technical protective gear for motorcycling such as gloves, jackets, andfull leather suits.
The company has been headed by Sante's son, Gabriele Mazzarolo, since 1993. There are offices in Los Angeles and Bangkok while the original headquarters and main research & development facility remain in Northern Italy.
Alpinestars leather suits and protective gear are worn by MotoGP World ChampionsMarc Márquez,Casey Stoner andJorge Lorenzo, and World Superbike ChampionsBen Spies andTroy Corser. Alpinestars' motocross gear is used by AMA and World Motocross championsMarvin Musquin,Tyla Rattray,David Philippaerts,Christophe Pourcel, andRyan Villopoto.
In 2011 Alpinestars developed the Tech Air Race System, an electronic airbag safety system that uses a data logging unit and dual charge inflation module.[2] It was used in the MotoGP and World Superbike championships. In June 2013Marc Márquez crashed at a speed of around 337 km/h (209 mph) while wearing the airbag suit and did not sustain serious injuries.[3]
Alpinestars developed flame and heat retardantNomexfire suits, footwear, gloves, and underwear for Formula One and NASCAR, which has been worn by recent championsMichael Schumacher,Jenson Button,Fernando Alonso andJimmie Johnson.Top Gear'sthe Stig wears a white Alpinestars race suit, shoes and gloves.[4]
Alpinestars made mountain bikes until 1996.[5][6] In 2023, Alpinestars launched the company's first full-face road helmet – the Supertech R10 – for motorcycling.[7]
Concerning motorcycling protection, Alpinestars has notably high scores in MotoCAP's independent safety tests. The Halo Drystar was the world's first textile jacket to achieve a 4-star rating in MotoCAP testing.[8] Also,Bennetts in theUK noted “the outstanding performance of these Alpinestars in MotoCAP testing” regarding the company's GP Plus R V2 gloves.[9] Alpinestars produced the world's first gloves to achieve a 5-star rating in MotoCAP tests.[10] And at the time of writing, more Alpinestars gloves have earned a 5-star rating in MotoCAP tests than any other manufacturer.[11]
Alpinestars was the first Italian manufacturer whose range included motorcycle gloves that achieved CE Level 2 (the highestEuropean Committee for Standardization protection level).[12]
