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PHOTOS: Sandro Cortese's Mangled Roadrace Boots

Moto2 rider crashes in Qatar and injures foot, but says damage would've been worse with lesser gear

April 9, 2014

Dainese says that the "Axial Pro In boots feature the D-Axialxx system in carbon fiber and aramid fiber, and have steel inserts at the heels which were specifically designed to stop the ankles from twisting and to protect them in the event of a violent impact."

Cortese suffered an injury to the top of his foot and fractured his ankle bone. Dainese suggests that the footrest sliced into the soft upper part of his boot, "like a knife."

Sandro Cortese qualified second in Qatar and missed pole by just 0.02 seconds. Despite missing Sunday afternoon's warm-up session, he would go on to finish seventh, his best Moto2 result.Honda Pro Images

Cortese, the 2012 Moto2 Champion, says that his Dainese D-Axial Pro In boots saved his career. "If I hadn't been wearing D-Axial Pro In boots with their carbon fiber brace system and steel protection, I'd definitely have destroyed my heel and ankle."Honda Pro Images

The Dynavolt Intact GP Moto2 team, will compete in round two of the 2014 Moto2 Championship, in Austin, Texas, despite the foot injury he suffered in Qatar.Honda Pro Images

It’s amazing the peaks and valleys that a racer will hit on any given race weekend. After qualifying second for the Moto2 race in Qatar and just 0.02 seconds behind the pole sitter, Sandro Cortese suffered a get-off worth thousands of views on YouTube. The German missed Sunday afternoon’s warm-up session as a result of the fractured ankle bone he sustained in the crash, but finished the race in seventh, his best Moto2 result to date. While some would consider Cortese’s injuries (and subsequent success) a matter of luck, he suggests that it was his gear which made the difference.

Cortese’s race results and the images above, provided by Dainese, add some validity to the 24-year-old’s statement and provide a closer look at the safety gear that's currently being put through the wringer.

“The [Dainese D-Axial Pro In] boot saved my career. If I hadn't been wearing D-Axial Pro In boots with their carbon fiber brace system and steel protection, I'd definitely have destroyed my heel and ankle. The same applies to my D-air Racing Suit, the Dainese air-bag system. The fact that it deployed so quickly saved me from possible upper body fractures,” Cortese says.

In a press release, Dainese goes on to suggest that the injuries Cortese did sustain were the result of his footrest slicing through the soft upper part of his boot, “like a knife.” “His Dainese Axial Pro In boot effectively protected the back of his foot at the heel.”

Cortese didn’t let the injuries he sustained keep him from training, and following a brief stint on crutches, says he’s prepared for round two of the 2014 Moto2 Championship, in Austin, TX.