ASTERISK CELL$599/pair

ASTERISK.COMAsterisk, founded by a group of athletes withextensive backgrounds in the design and useof orthopedic devices, presents possibly themost technologically advanced knee protec-tion system available without prescription –the Cell.The Cell’s ability to remain rigid andsupportive (thanks to their carbon-fiber-rein-forced, anatomically correct frame), yet pro-vide a custom-tailored fit and free range ofmotion while protecting against knee damageand hyperextension, sold us immediately.

Knee braces are especially important onrunabouts, because – and I know this fromexperience – a common injury sustainedwhile riding a sit-down occurs when therider is bucked over the side while their foot

is either locked in a foot-chock or inadver-tently trapped in the footwell. Braces canhelp avert this type of injury by transferringenergy from the fragile knee to a joint withmore range of motion and strength – such asthe hip’s ball-and-socket joint. The bracesalso help absorb impacts with the craft itselfand disperse the shock over a greater area.

The Cell braces performed extremelywell on both the sit-down Barracuda and theKawasaki SX-R.The initial fit took a little get-ting used to, as the adjustable anti-hyper-extension system was set to lock the bracesjust before my knees naturally locked –resulting in some awkward walking the firstfew minutes. The patented Uni-Quad fas-tener helped stave off any “roping” and dis-tributed pressure evenly on the backside ofthe knees.

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T E X T B Y J U S T I N S T A N N A R DP H O T O G R A P H Y B Y C O L I N I G N A C I O

Two pieces of equipment that are almost completely overlooked(and tragically under-used) in personal watercraft racing are neck-and knee-brace systems. Having personally been afforded the

opportunity to perfect my form during countless get-offs, and afterrecently seeing personal watercraft breaking the 100-mph milestone, itwould appear evident that these two pieces of protective equipment canpotentially save a lot of pain, physical therapy and ruined racing careers.As more and more power is unlocked from the swelling four-stroke power-plants in our watercraft, the potential for serious injury inflates corre-spondingly. Hitting the water at 60 miles per hour can be pretty painful.Careening into the water at close to 80 miles per hour is exponentiallymore dangerous, and often yields – at the absolute minimum – a soreneck, bruised ribs and a slight concussion.

The honest truth is that there’s a growing chasm between faster,more potent PWC and appropriate equipment to protect riders fromserious injuries to their neck and knees – which are two of the most

vulnerable areas to injury on stand-ups and runabouts alike. To combatthis, we wanted to try a few pieces of quality motocross braces out withproject Barracuda and a Kawasaki 800 SX-R to test their effectiveness inour waterborne sport.

The Bee’s KneesAfter suffering from a minor knee injury during last year’s Mark Hahn300 endurance race (which has yet to completely heal), I realized howeasy it is to tweak a knee while riding. If you don’t want to take my wordfor it, just ask PWCOffshore.com’s Mark Gerner, who suffered severedamage to his knee (among other sprains and bruises) during 2008’sLong Beach-to-Catalina-and-Back offshore race, after a split-secondcourse correction sent him over the bars on his near-80-mph Sea-Doo.PWC racing celebrity Rob Greenwald, who has incurred extensivedamage (and recent reconstructive surgery) to his ACL and MCL, willnever ride without knee protection ever again. In his words, “Peopledon’t realize that your knees take all the abuse.”

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By the time I had ridden myself to exhaustion, I felt secure, confi-dent and well-protected during our testing in Lake Elsinore, California.

But we weren’t the only ones sold on knee braces. After a messydirt-bike accident 20 years ago, freerider Taylor Curtis has been left withrecurring knee ailments. Religiously using the CTi Pro Sport OTS kneebraces (CTi is distantly related to Asterisk, specializing in orthopedicbraces for those with medical prescriptions) while riding, Taylor willseldom be caught without them.The braces, according to Taylor, are “likehaving a brand-new knee. I recommend them to anybody.”

Pain in the NeckNeck braces, still relatively new to the action sports industry, havereceived heaps of press over the last five years – some good, some notso good.With every new brand/model/design comes more debate abouttheir usefulness, necessity, even safety. Many riders complain that neckbraces are too restrictive or that their limiting nature can actually causean accident.While we at PWI don’t claim to be professionals in this field,we do believe there is merit to the neck brace argument – especiallywhen applied to our unique sport. Whether racers choose to believethat braces help or not, one thing can’t be denied: The blazing fastspeeds that PWC are currently reaching are not making our falls anysafer, and we feel that future statistics will verify that neck injuries onwater increase proportionally with speed.

LEATT BRACE ADVENTURE$225

LEATT-BRACE.COMThis is it – the new frontier.The company credited with first introducingthe neck brace to the masses in 2006 has now developed a lower-cost

version of their venerable (though expensive, at $595) GPX neckbrace.The brace, designed specifically to bring a rider’s head to a con-trolled stop and create an alternate load path for neck forces during acrash, boasts a glass-reinforced nylon frame and simple adjustability.Marketing their neck braces as “the helmet for your neck,” Leatt Bracehas sought to make the neck brace an affordable, common piece ofprotective equipment for motorcyclists, as routinely worn as a rider’shelmet, chest protector, boots and gloves.

The real downside to the Leatt was its compatibility with a lifevest. Once we were able to stuff its thick chest piece down inside avest, we were fine.The only vest we could get it to comfortably fit underconsistently, however, was Dainese’s Impact vest. Once on, the bracepresented no unusual pressure points, but really hindered the move-ment of a helmeted head (we used an Arai VX-Pro3) – especially whentrying to look down (which, to be fair, was what Leatt was aiming for).After getting used to something that felt like a lampshade around myneck, riding wasn’t all that bad – so long as I didn’t need to look downfor any reason.Trying to swim was another obstacle, as the brace ush-ered in a claustrophobia-induced panic that might not go over too wellin the heat of the moment following a real crash.

Overall, the Leatt Brace is a fantastic step in the right direction, andis very well made, but we feel it possesses some inherent design traits(i.e., a rigid frame meant to immobilize the neck to prevent injury) thatmight make it unacceptable for many PWC racers at the moment.Weexcitedly look forward to the day that Leatt releases a PWC-specificmodel that melds seamlessly with our particular environment.

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After a brief adjustment period, the Asterisk Cell braces were scarcelynoticeable, and didn’t bind up after continuous riding.

The Leatt Brace ADVenture put up a damned good fight. We struggled just to getit to fit under any vest.

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THE RACE COLLAR$40-$60

While race collars are great for Go-Kart or Crackerbox racers, helpingprevent injuries due to riders’ helmets wobbling about, or for thosehoping to reduce collarbone bruising/fractures, in the world ofaggressive PWC racing, the collars are just too plush to offer any realneck support or protection against violent spills or hazardoushydrodynamic forces at 75 mph.

EVS RC-EVOLUTION$175

EVS-SPORTS.COMIf our neck-protection products were bowls of porridge, with the LeattBrace proving too restrictive, and the race collar being way too forgiving,

then the RC-Evolution was that perfect blend right in the middle.Dubbed a natural evolution from a long line of EVS race collars andneck rolls (hence the name), the RC-Evolution focuses mainly on impactabsorption and dispersal while maintaining a semi-rigid frame and opti-mal range of motion without sacrificing too much protection. Basically,its designers wanted you to be able to actually look down (or tuck yourhead in when performing the instinctive tuck-and-roll), while simultane-ously softening the violent blow of a crash and transferring that energysomewhere more capable of withstanding it.

With minimal effort, the RC-Evolution fit into every one of ourthree test vests. Not only that, but normal head movement wasn’t dras-tically hindered while riding or swimming. The brace limits your headrotation so as to not allow you to stab your own chest with thehelmet’s chinbar, yet doesn’t seem to demand ramrod-straight posturewhile riding. This led to a warm, fuzzy feeling that this may just be theneck-protection system for personal watercraft riders. While we maynot be the first to utilize this particular system (Huntington BeachHonda/Rockstar’s Nick Vanis has been using the RC-Evolution for sometime now), we will most surely give it our vote.

My Two CentsIn this exciting world of speed, power and adrenaline, it’s quite easy torocket about without considering proper safety equipment. Most seri-ous riders now use helmets, gloves and booties consistently, but it’s notenough. The Asterisk Cell knee braces and EVS RC-Evolution systemwe tested both offer outstanding performance and very reliable protec-tion against common injuries in this heart-pumping age of 70-plus-mphOEM personal watercraft. As time passes and our speeds continue toclimb, I remain convinced that statistics will show a frightening increasein neck injuries on the water.Take the necessary measures and protectyour livelihood the next time you’re hauling butt across the chop atbreakneck speeds. PWI

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