02-02-2015, 06:01 AM
(01-30-2015, 11:35 AM)Cormanus_imp Wrote: Understood, although I'm not sure I've made myself clear.
If DGShannon is right that Kevlar is 10 times stronger than leather, and it also holds that this extra strength gives extra protection in the event of an accident, one can be forgiven for wondering why the governing body doesn't mandate a change in the requirement for protective gear.
The only reasonable conclusion is that the real difference between the relative protective properties of kevlar and leather means the change isn't worth it.
It would be interesting to know the governing bodies insight since woven Kevlar is the ONLY alternative to leather approved for road racing. It is stated to be 10 times the abrasion resistance of leather, but I imagine that there are many other considerations, for the racers. As stated by someone else, the woven Kevlar is tough to work with, doesn't fit as tight, and breaths (cools you) so much better than leather, that in a racing situation it can't be as aerodynamic as leather. As also stated by someone else, these guys are always getting new leathers (presumably for free). The fact that they are always new takes care of one of the other issues (leather breaks down with time, sweat, sun, etc.) that differentiates Kevlar from leather, for us mortals wearing our gear for years, on the street. If you look at the big dog leather companies passing out free gear to racers, they are also typically big on other safety aspects like shock sensors and electronics, the airbag suits, etc. Only a guess, but if you look at Motoport (one of the main woven Kevlar gear companies) they are small potatoes. If you ever had a Kevlar gear manufacturer with enough bucks in their pocket to fund the R&D, racing programs, etc. such that they could run around giving out free gear, then you would likely see more on the track.
Speaking of "on the track" it is a lot of fun to show up in Kevlar gear and have them balk about it, telling you that you must wear leather, only to call their hand and direct their attention to the AMA rulebook. (Page 48, section 3.26, paragraph D)
http://amaproracing.cdn.racersites.com/a...lebook.pdf