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Tony Goldsmith caught Valentino Rossi dragging his elbow and making sparks fly. Nice work, Tony!

We see sparks from riders with the Dainese suits, but never from those in Alpinestars, even El Presidente of Elbow Dragging, Marc Marquez. Ever wonder why?

Alpinestars figures sparks on a racetrack are a bad idea, so their elbow sliders are made of a material that protects the suit and rider (not in that order) but without the risk of sparks. If a bike were leaking oil or fuel, and the rider created sparks like this at just the wrong moment, it could go poorly for all involved.

Admittedly, this is a low risk that is unlikely ever to happen. Rossi and Bradl et alia are probably fine sparking it up now and then. And it sure is interesting to watch.

Photograph: ©2014 by Tony Goldsmith / TGF Photos – All Rights Reserved