How to build your own kart – 8 Questions with AIR Motorsport
Over the last few years, there have been many manufactures that have come and gone. But what does it take to put your own brand of kart on the track? We put some questions to AIR Motorsport team owner Alex Rowley, the makers of the striking, British built AIR Kart.
KE: Firstly, for those that don’t know, can you give us a brief history of AIR Motorsport?
AR: AIR Motorsport was established in July 2015 when I was still racing. I’d been lucky enough to of had a lot of success at the time at various club meetings and there were quite a few people coming to me and saying “if you can do it, can you teach my son/daughter?” Things then grew from there when those drivers themselves started to experience good results. So much so that I then focused my weekends to fully working with the customers.
KE: What sparked the idea to create your own chassis, and when did you decide to pull the trigger and go for it?
AR: The AIRkart concept has always been the major goal ever since I started racing back in 2005. However, it was a race meeting in about 2010 that will always stick in my mind. I was stood at the back of drivers briefing at a Kimbolton meeting and could see more team names on the back of people’s jackets and jumpers than drivers. It was at that moment that I decided rather than chase the existing market; create it.
KE: How did you go from being a team to a manufacturer?
AR: The AIR Motorsport team is very much an operation where the two go hand in hand. However, to be a manufacturer as well, means putting in extra hours at work and a lot of research and development. It means more days at the track too which is never a bad thing come rain or shine.
KE: How long did it take to go from initial concept to having a kart ready to test?
AR: That’s a hard question to answer because since I was 15 years old, I’ve always been thinking of how it could be done. But from putting the plan into action, it was about two years researching and testing different tubes, finding out how to import the tube and how to get the tubes manipulated and welded into a kart frame.
KE: What are the biggest challenges you faced while creating & developing your own kart?
AR: There have been a number of challenges some of which have been out of my control. Time is always a big factor, I always wish there was more of it. More time to promote the brand, more time to research new parts or more time to develop better manufacturing processes. It is a challenge to maximise brand awareness without the budget of the larger manufacturers. However, if we keep on banging the drum and achieving good results, more heads will be turned.
KE: You have had some success already, what’s the proudest moment since you started racing it?
AR: This could be a long answer as there have been so many. The chassis came 4th in the Super 1 British Championship in its debut season against a lot more established brands making it Britain’s most successful chassis in its debut season. It also won its first ever race of competition in Senior X30 at Whilton Mill. However the very first time the AIRkart took to track was a memorable moment as that was when we realised that fundamentally the AIRkart was naturally fast.
KE: Towards the back end of last year, you were out testing the OK engines. Is that a sign of things to come in the future?
AR: We tested the AIRkart in OK as a bit of a publicity stunt and to do a bit of testing on a softer tyre compound with a more powerful engine. The results we achieved were very good because the chassis was only a few tenths off the lap record on a midweek day at Whilton Mill. Going forward, there will be an AIRkart chassis for Bambinos, Cadet (Honda and IAME) as well as development being aimed towards KZ and TKM.
KE: Finally, where can people find out more, or even pick up their own AIRkart?
AR: For more information, people can check ok the www.airmotorsport.com website or email me personally at alex@airmotorsport.com . We also have a Facebook and Instagram page which is frequently updated which gives a better insight into the kart and the dedicated AIRkart workshop based in the West Midlands which is where all the sales, storage and maintenance is conducted.
Huge thank you to Alex over at AIR Motorsport for taking the time to talk to us. Don’f forget to check out their website and socials.
