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| October 10, 2012 News |
| Industry News: IPKarting Set for Future with New Line and Design |
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 | IPKarting S.r.l. unveiled its rebranded OK1 kart line and laid out its support program during a dealer conference in Italy
(Photo: IPK North America) |
IPKarting S.r.l., the manufacturer of IPK Racing Products, held its first ever dealer conference this week at the Hotel Parchi del Garda in Verona, Italy. The event marked several important announcements for the company, including the introduction of a 're-branded' line of orange karts, called OK1. Canadian Marco Di Leo was present at the event hosted by IPK sole owner Petr Ptacek, and expanded on the news upon his return to North America.
“It was the perfect conference,” Di Leo stated from the IPK North America home base this week. “Importers from around the globe were amazed to have such a professional presentation put forth from the IPKarting company. And though it was a shock to me, initially, to hear news that IPK was not continuing with the name Intrepid, it was at the same time refreshing to know that we were able to continue with the same race and championship-winning technology, now with even better quality control and a new aggressive image. The 2013 models were revealed and of course the upgrades had all dealers grinning - especially after a World Championship season for IPK and Praga with Bas Lammers.”
IPKarting Chairman of the Board Daniel Sliva welcomed guests, and introduced how the company will be moving forward with its Praga and OK1 brands. The sales and commercial department presented the 'orange kart', a re-branded version of what was formerly known as Intrepid. The re-branding is strictly a visual one, and the OK1 kart still maintains all the technical aspects and details it previously held, simply with a new name. Dealers were assured that the factory would help with the transition into this new brand, including providing new sticker kits and other kart accessories and team wear.
The technical department then presented the 2013 models for both Praga and OK1, discussing the technical upgrades that were made based on extensive trials and testing with the factory team. They also introduced the new line of rental karts (PRAGA Raceline EVO and OK1 Raceline EVO) and 'entry level' karts (PRAGA Dark and OK1 Start), with a price point set to attract novice kart drivers.
 | Rebranded OK1 karts will feature a new aggressive image with same race and championship-winning technology
(Photo: IPKarting) |
Praga team manager Petr Ulbert spoke about the factory team, the work they put into preparing for their first season, and the goals they achieved.
Then it was time to hear from Praga factory driver and 2012 KZ1 World Champion Bas Lammers, who recounted his first season with Praga, and his satisfaction with both the brand and the company.
The new marketing and media features were also discussed, including the IPKarting website, where dealers can find all the information they need about the Praga and OK1 brands, as well as the many tools implemented by the Praga marketing team, including the Praga team website, social media outlets Facebook and Youtube, and the Praga Journal magazine.
The purpose of the event was not only to provide new information, but also to create a family atmosphere amongst the dealers; to let them know that they have a complete support system behind them from the IPK factory. This was certainly achieved, as many of the dealers were impressed with the level of professionalism displayed from IPKarting, and noted that an event such as this is unprecedented in the karting world.
IPKarting was very pleased with how the event was received, and plan to make this an annual event for its dealers.
IPK North America now looks forward to the SKUSA SuperNationals in Las Vegas in November, where factory IPK drivers and IPK dealers from around the globe will come together to showcase the new product lines.
For more information about how to join the winning IPK team at the SuperNationals, please email marco@goodwoodkartways.com
For more information about the new line of chassis, please visit the IPK factory site at http://www.ipkarting.com
To see more photos from the event, visit the Flickr page |
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