Akrapovic 30th anniversary
Akrapovic is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2021. The beginnings for the Slovenian exhaust manufacturer go back to even before its formal incorporation in the spring of 1991, when operations started in a workshop just over a kilometre away from its current headquarters at Ivancna Gorica.
Igor Akrapovic was a motorcycle racer who had also tuned motorcycles during his racing career - on his own machines to start with, but later also on those of others, even his rivals. It was this passion for technology and constant improvement of motorcycle components that made him decide to start his own business and dedicate his future to developing high-performance exhaust systems.
Exhaust systems were where Igor saw his greatest opportunity, because at that time there was little competition on the market, and substantial room for improvement. He initially focused on racing motorcycle exhaust systems, building a rich tradition of state-of-the-art products, from which he soon expanded into the mainstream motorcycle market, as well as the car market later on.
Three decades after its inception, the company is operating at two state-of-the-art production sites in Slovenia, with over 1,300 employees. The facilities at the company's headquarters in Ivancna Gorica comprise an in-house titanium foundry, a durability dyno on which a robot rides the motorcycle, a metallurgical lab, an R&D department and a racing department. The entire production, from tube making to final assembly, takes places in a large production hall at Crnomelj.
To date, the company has secured 140 world championship titles with its partner racing teams in various racing disciplines, along with numerous victories in FIM MotoGP, FIM WorldSBK, FIM MXGP, FIA WEC and DTM, famous races like the Isle of Man TT, 24 Hours Nürburgring, 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona, Dakar Rally, and more.