IKD announced today it will no longer be the distributor for Rotax karting products in Australia. A new entity will take over the Rotax importation and distribution in January 2021 – see the statement from IKD below.
Earlier this year, BRP-Rotax named IKD as one of its top three Rotax distributors worldwide for 2019.
During its time as distributor, IKD organised the Rotax Pro Tour and Team Australia grand final campaigns, offering its customers awesome and well organised experiences.
These are big shoes for the new distributor to fill.
IKD Statement
I would like to inform you that some months ago I took the decision and advised BRP-Rotax that IKD would like to step aside from being the importer of Rotax into Australia.
Since then, IKD has worked together with BRP-Rotax and we now inform you that Richard and Tania Bethune of Right Karts New Zealand is expanding their territory and will be responsible for the Australian market from January 2021 onwards.
Richard and Tania are currently in the process of setting up all facets of the new company. RaceMax Pty Ltd is the name of the new entity and contact details will be advised soon.
Due to COVID-19, there are some challenges being from New Zealand and setting up a new company in Australia whilst not able to travel. Therefore in the initial phase, this new company will be based in a dedicated section of the current IKD warehouse – but this is not to be confused or construed to be part of IKD. They are separate entities and IKD has no ownership or involvement in that company whatsoever.
We aim to make the transition as smooth as possible and you can rest assured that supply of engines and spare parts will continue! There will be a small window of time where the stock is being counted and transferred, which is expected to happen just before Christmas.
As part of the transition, RaceMax have secured the services of Tim Craig, a long-term IKD staff member who brings a lot of Rotax knowledge and experience. He will take a significant role within the new company.
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As per Rotax guidelines, the new distributor assumes all responsibility for any warranty matters. As we will have no distributor agreement with BRP-Rotax in 2021, we will no longer have access to the online warranty system so there is absolutely no choice or option in this matter.
Richard and Tania have plans to continue the promotion of Rotax races and I wish them all the best! I am sure they will make the relevant announcements as soon as possible.
It would be remiss of me to not take the opportunity to thank some people that supported IKD, Rotax and the Rotax Pro Tour for so many years.
If you are part of the Rotax family as a Weekend warrior, Club racer, Pro Tour competitor, Team Australia member, parent, mechanic or enthusiast – I thank you for your support! I hope we played a part in making your Rotax experience enjoyable.
To all the dealers who supported Rotax over the years, I would like to say a big thank you with extra special thanks to the dealers that shared in the Rotax Pro Tour dream.
To every club that hosted a round of the Rotax Pro Tour, I say thanks! Without clubs and the volunteers that put in countless hours around Australia we would not have a sport.
I would like to thank all the officials that ever officiated an event promoted by IKD. We have seen firsthand what an incredible job you guys do! It’s not an easy one and the fact that you volunteer your time is something that I always appreciated.
I also thank Karting Australia, they provide a very important framework and structure for a National level series and have partnered with us throughout the years.
My team at IKD have been amazing. There have been a number of different people involved over the years, each of them brought unique and different talents to the table, all of which combined made for a great team.
BRP-Rotax have been incredible – they support their distributors fantastically and support Karting worldwide through hundreds of events globally such as Rotax Pro Tour and via their annual Grand Final event which is an enormous effort and cost. I have really appreciated the relationship formed between IKD and BRP-Rotax.
IKD will obviously continue, we still have a lot of brands. 2020 was our 30th year in business and we aim to be here for many more years to come. We are currently finalising a new website and planning to improve our levels of customer service even more in 2021 and beyond.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and let’s all hope that 2021 is a much better year than 2020!
Stay Safe!
Ian Black
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