Round seven of the 2014 World Superbike Championship took place at Misano in Italy June 22, where Tom Sykes notched his third double victory of the 2014 World Superbike Championship series. The British world champion 2013 from the Kawasaki official team rode his superbike Kawasaki ZX-10R equipped with a new windshield made of ShieldUp PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) sheet from Altuglas.

The Altuglas research team were able to combine PMMA and an elastomer at the nanometer scale that gives acrylic glass unique properties without compromising transparency. Lightweight, ultra-transparency, impact resistance and excellent chemical resistance reportedly make it a revolutionary sheet.

Johannes Klement, chief executive of MRA, the company that fabricated the sheet, said: "Our competitors usually propose polycarbonate to the racing team which has lower light transparency than PMMA. We are constantly searching for new innovative solution for our partners including the Kawasaki racing team. This windshield is ultra-transparent, even at the high temperature present on the track, shock resistant and chemically resistant to strong cleaning products, and perfect for Kawasaki for racing".

Frédéric Vartician, Altuglas Sheet Director for Europe: "Ten years of research were needed for the Altuglas researchers to implement this award-winning PMMA nanostructured sheet with the correct balance of properties. Thanks to our German partner MRA, we are pleased to see our innovation in this spectacular sport with Tom Sykes and Kawasaki".

Acrylic sheet combines two components PMMA and elastomer, structured at the nanoscale, allowing for complete transparency while optimizing other properties such as mechanical and chemical resistance. Nanostructuring means the company can structure materials on the scale of a billionth of a meter. Like a knitted mesh, the material is organized in a particular pattern that repeats itself infinitely, giving objects fully mastered properties and improved performance.