AB7, THE FIRST FIA 8870-2018 APPROVED BENGIO HST RIB PROTECTOR

As anticipated, the AB7 rib protector (available in the two fluorescent yellow and red colours of the photos) is the result of the evolution and adaptation of the know-how and technologies developed by Bengio with the development of the Bumper. The AB7, in line with the FIA ​​regulatory requirements, has 4 rigid parts: two on the sides, one at the rear and the front chest protector. All parts are connected to each other by [1] non-removable rivets. The front protection is instead not tied to the right shell because it has an opening for wearing the rib protector. On the other side, however, the "harness" is permanently connected to the shell on the left. To do this, Bengio used the same adjustable strap that you also have on the right, but blocking it, with two [2] stoppers that do not allow it to be removed from the buckle, always keeping the "chest protector” connected to the rest of the rib protector, as requested by the FIA, which wanted to prevent the new generation rib protectors from being used without front protection. The decision to opt for composite materials, fibreglass and carbon, is proof of Bengio's willingness to continue following the corporate way, enjoying a consolidated experience in regard to these materials. In particular, the "chest protector" is made of carbon fibre and glass fibre, while the side protections and the backrest are in glass fibre, a choice dictated by the need to make the various parts of the rib protector capable of passing the FIA blows resistance tests. In fact, the federation standards require that the energy transmitted to the body in the event of a blow does not exceed 1kN: the AB7 tests - the company declares - have obtained results up to 10 times better than the required standards. The total weight of the AB7, on the other hand, is around 1 kg, a weight which obviously varies by about 0.2 kg, depending on whether it is size XXL or XXS.