Alpinestars is an Italian

motorsports Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the po ...

and

action sports Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk of injury or death. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extre ...

safety equipment manufacturer based in

Asolo Asolo () is a town and ''comune'' in the Veneto, Veneto Region of northern Italy. It is known as "The Pearl of the province of Treviso", and also as "The City of a Hundred Horizons" for its mountain settings. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'It ...

, Italy. Its lines include specialized products for

MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

motorcycling Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small-engine displacement, displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in ...

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. E ...

, WEC,

V8 Supercars The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

, and

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

, and motorsports-themed, non-sports clothing. The company has fashion design centers in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

offering products for men, women and children.

History

Founded in 1963 by Sante Mazzarolo in Asolo, Italy, the company started out making hiking and ski boots, but quickly shifted its focus to making

motorcycle boots Motorcycle boots are associated with motorcycle riders and range from above ankle to below knee boots. They have an outside of a typical boot but a low heel to control the motorcycle. To improve motorcycle safety, motorcycle boots are generall ...

for motocross racing, and road racing boots shortly thereafter. The company's name comes from the English translation of the Italian mountain flower Stella Alpina (Edelweiss), which grows high in the mountains around the area where the company was founded. The company sponsored motorsport world champions such as

Nicky Hayden Nicholas Patrick Hayden (July 30, 1981 May 22, 2017), nicknamed "The Kentucky Kid", was an American professional motorcycle racer who won the MotoGP World Championship in 2006. Hayden began racing motorcycles at a young age. He began his road ...

, Roger DeCoster,

Kenny Roberts Kenneth Leroy Roberts (born December 31, 1951) is an American former professional motorcycle racer and racing team owner. In 1978, he became the first American to win a Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship. He was also a two-time w ...

Mick Doohan Michael Sydney Doohan ( ; born 4 June 1965) is an Australian former Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Grand Prix motorcycle road racing List of Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champions, World Champion, who won five consecutive List of 500cc/Mo ...

and

Marc Márquez Marc Márquez Alentà (born 17 February 1993) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who races for the Ducati Lenovo Team. He previously raced for the Ducati satellite team Gresini in 2024 and Honda's factory team from his MotoGP deb ...

. During the 1990s the company branched out into manufacturing all types of technical protective gear for motorcycling such as gloves, jackets, and full 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 Champions

Casey Stoner Casey Joel Stoner (born 16 October 1985) is an Australian retired professional motorcycle racer, and a two-time MotoGP World Champion, in and . During his MotoGP career, Stoner raced for the factory teams of Ducati and Honda, winning a tit ...

and

Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo Guerrero (; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish former professional Grand Prix motorcycle racing, motorcycle racer. He is a five-time World Champion, with three List of 500cc/MotoGP Motorcycle World Champions, MotoGP World Championships ...

, and World Superbike Champions

Ben Spies Ben Spies (; born July 11, 1984), is an American team principal for a MotoAmerica Supersport (600cc) professional motorcycle road racing team who previously was a racer himself. He was sometimes nicknamed "Elbows" due to his riding style, in whi ...

and

Troy Corser Troy Gordon Corser (born 27 November 1971) is an Australian former professional motorcycle road racing, road racer. He competed in the Superbike World Championship from 1992 to 2011 except for the 1997 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, 1997 s ...

. Alpinestars' motocross gear is used by AMA and World Motocross champions

Marvin Musquin Marvin Musquin (born 30 December 1989 in La Réole, France) is a French former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 2004 to 2010 and the AMA Motocross Championships from 2011 to 2023 ...

Tyla Rattray Tyla Rattray (born 12 November 1985) is a South African former professional motocross racer and current motocross team trainer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1999 to 2008 and, in the AMA Motocross Championships from 200 ...

David Philippaerts David Philippaerts (born 7 December 1983 in Pietrasanta) is an Italian former professional motocross racer of Italian and Belgian descent. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 2000 to 2014 before returning as a wild card in 2022. ...

Christophe Pourcel Christophe Pourcel (born 16 August 1988), is a French former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships and in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2004 to 2016 and then raced his final season i ...

, and

Ryan Villopoto Ryan Daniel Villopoto (born August 13, 1988, in Fortuna, California) is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer who competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2005 to 2014; a four-time 450cc AMA Supercross Champion, a ...

. 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. It was used in the MotoGP and World Superbike championships. In June 2013

crashed at a speed of around 337 km/h (209 mph) while wearing the airbag suit and did not sustain serious injuries. Alpinestars developed flame and heat retardant

Nomex Nomex is a trademarked term for an inherently flame-resistant fabric with meta-aramid chemistry widely used for industrial applications and fire protection equipment. It was developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967. ...

fire suits, footwear, gloves, and underwear for Formula One and NASCAR, which has been worn by recent champions

Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Schumacher won a record-setting seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, tied by Lewis Hamilton in ...

Jenson Button Jenson Alexander Lyons Button (born 19 January 1980) is a British racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Jota. Button competed in Formula One from to , and won the World Drivers' Championship in with Brawn; ...

Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin in Formula One, Aston Martin. Alonso has won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with ...

and

Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE for Legacy Motor Club. Johnson has won seven Cup ch ...

. ''

Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the ori ...

the Stig The Stig is a character from the British motoring television show '' Top Gear''. Created by former ''Top Gear'' presenter Jeremy Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman, the character is a play on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, w ...

wears a white Alpinestars race suit, shoes and gloves. Alpinestars made mountain bikes until 1996. In 2023, Alpinestars launched the company's first full-face road helmet – the Supertech R10 – for motorcycling. 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. Also,

Bennetts Bennetts Motorcycling Services Limited is a specialist insurance broker for motorcycles headquartered in Peterborough, with a contact centre in Coventry, owned by Lucida Group since May 2021. History Bennetts was founded by Frederick J Benne ...

in the UK noted “the outstanding performance of these Alpinestars in MotoCAP testing” regarding the company's GP Plus R V2 gloves. Alpinestars produced the world's first gloves to achieve a 5-star rating in MotoCAP tests. And at the time of writing, more Alpinestars gloves have earned a 5-star rating in MotoCAP tests than any other manufacturer. Alpinestars was the first Italian manufacturer whose range included motorcycle gloves that achieved CE Level 2 (the highest

European Committee for Standardization The European Committee for Standardization (CEN, ) is a public standards organization whose mission is to foster the economy of the European Single Market and the wider European continent in global trading, the welfare of European citizens an ...

protection level).

References

External links

* {{Authority control Sportswear brands Sporting goods manufacturers of Italy Clothing companies established in 1963 Italian companies established in 1963 Clothing companies of Italy Motorcycle safety gear manufacturers Companies based in Veneto Motorcycling retailers Automotive motorsports and performance companies Shoe brands