I stand corrected. I believe there is a Race Factory, build location as Paul stated and Factory Karts (Musgrave) which are built in the US.
Race Factory is 100% Emme currently. It’s a Croc with a different chassis tag. Even the powder coat is the same.
He’s had a couple built by Musgrave, iirc, but they were one offs.
To clear up confusion:
Factory Kart is Musgrave’s thing.
And Race Factory is Race’s thing.
Very confusing, but they are different things.
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Intrepid certainly uses a ton of IPK parts throughout the karts. I belive they are also the manufacture for GFC and Trackmagic. Since, the use all the same components even the non IPK parts like front camber/caster pills and spindles.
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How many of these chassis’ are knock offs? I had a guy recently tell me that my TB Kart was basically a OTK knock off design. I have no idea if thats true?
IRQVET - everything is a knockoff of the 1981 DAP Greyhound. The only changes since then have been brakes that actually work, bolt-in torsion bars, and camber/caster eccentrics.
TKART found that a Greyhound with a 100cc DAP rotary-valve engine got the same laptimes the same way as a then-brand-new KF kart…
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The Brazilian real has tanked against the dollar, too, so I wish I was the importer for the Kart Mini chassis…
Someone once said to me that if your Mid Pack in an OTK there 5 in front of you and 5 behind you so its not the chassis. this goes with what Alan was saying you cant blame the kart if its the same as what everyone else is in, this works well for Teams because a driver cant blame the gear he/She is in
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All chassis are pretty similar but it’s not an OTK copy for sure.
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GFC and TrackMagic 100% come from the TB Kart factory.
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Intrepid and iPK have a weird history. I think iPK bought the Intrepid operation, rebranded it as OK1, and then Intrepid wad remade by the guy that sold it to iPK? There are some connections between the two but they are not the same karts.
@IRQVET I’ll echo what Matthew said, all the chassis designs are very similar now, but there’s no real “knock off” brands. The TB Kart is certainly not an OTK knock off, but every kart I’ve driven, from Margay to DR to KR or OTK, all have a very distinct and separate feel to them, even if they look similar to the naked eye. If you actually really want to get technical, you can go look at all the homologation documents and see how they’re actually different dimension wise. Not to mention the materials are all unique to the manufacturer and that plays such a huge role in the frame.
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One of the things OTK seemed to get right was consistent metal supply. I remember being told when they got a real big foothold in the market a lot of manufacturers spent a lot of time with metallurgists figuring it out. In addition their manufacturing uses robot welding, which I believe is a tad more consistent than a human (even though I believe a human welder/brazer could be better on an individual level). It’s not unknown for manufacturers to lose performance when their best welder leaves and they have to hire someone new. OTK don’t have that issue.
However, I have seen very small outfits time and time again bend some tube and braze it together and get top level results. I don’t think the big manufacturers are doing anything magical as such.
That’s actually somewhat incorrect, yes the frames are currently fabricated by EMME but they are not a Croc. The steel is different, and the geometries are different (close sure, but not identical). The components used are the same, but are sourced through El Zet directly. Race would like to move production of the frames to the US also, and is currently prototyping US made frames.
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Emme and Breda both came out of obscurity in the past five years to build world-class karts.
If someone wants to do this in North America, I recommend calling Magna International at (248) 631-1100 and asking for Business Development for Cosma Subframes. We already NC-bend and weld tubular structures.
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It is already done in the US, just in different karting markets. In the 4 stroke sprint world, you have MGM and Comet which both produce national championship karts in high quantities. You may not see them at Super Nats, but their volumes at 4 cycle races and in clubs around the country are impressive.
Lets not even start talking about oval karting. A market that is likely double what our sprint volumes are and 99.9% of which are produced in the US.
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Although I am definitely not an expert on this topic, I hear the issue is the cost to manufacture in N. America.
Breda - I believe make racing components and equipment. My understanding is, and I could be wrong, that Breda manufacture, but Dino designs, etc… but you probably already knew this.
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I find it hard to believe it would be more expensive to make karts here than in Europe, other than sourcing specific metric tubing. Robotic cutting, bending, and welding cuts down the labor immensely and ensures consistent quality.
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Have to agree. OTKs aren’t what I’d call cheap either. The only major complexity is the jig really (because they tend to be bespoke as everyone has different ways to do it). Once you get that you can build chassis till your heart is content. I am surprised more don’t do it. But there you go.
Also it should be noted people don’t buy chassis because they are cheap. The market dynamics in a sporting context are a bit different. There’s such a strong correlation in motorsport between spending money and increased performance. I’ve known a manufacturer to up prices because perception was bad at lower prices.
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I have never heard it more elegantly worded, Alan. I can 100% confirm this. As (one of) the most economical 206 builder choices in the country, I have lost too many sales to dads of juniors who went with XYZ motor builder because it cost more. They always say “They have to be doing more cause it costs more.”
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In reality, they’re probably doing less.
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