The Emperors Clothes

Talking Valentino’s MotoGP leather suit.

- Adam Wheeler

The flash of yellow. The tall, thin profile. The suit legs over the boots. The crouch to grab the footpeg of the factory Monster Energy Yamaha before leaving pitlane. The ritual ‘underwear correction’ just prior to hitting the first metres of MotoGP asphalt. For more than twenty years the suited-and-booted sight of Valentino Rossi has become part of the fabric of Grand Prix.

The details and idiosyncrasies of motorcycle racing’s most popular character have not gone unnoticed by his followers and millions of MotoGP fans from the southern hemisphere to the north. Rossi’s animal decals and inventive crash helmet designs have been part of his identity but the career-spanning association with Italian firm Dainese has also been a mainstay, and the 40 year old’s leather suit (made from kangaroo skin for a product that is thinner and stronger than traditional hides) is just as much of the make-up.

Along with the AGV helmet the ‘leathers’ are an essential element of his racing protection and equipment, and inside the relatively thin and innocuous garment is a wealth of research, customisation, ideas and technology. The airbag (obligatory in MotoGP for the last two years), protection, ventilation and fit are things where ‘The Doctor’ is able to benefit from Dainese’s experience for almost half a century.

“Valentino has been with us forever, so he has pretty much grown up with us and AGV helmets,” says Racing Director Marco Pastore. “He’s been racing a long time, so over twenty years we’ve had a lot of developments and improvements with the suit. He is using a version that is not for all our riders; it is an evolution that we are also extending now to some other top guys.”