Behind the scenes at top exhaust firm
Austin Racing boss reveals his secrets of success
For some reason people have realised how specialist we are, that we do what no-one else in the world does,” says Rich Austin, founder and boss of Austin Racing. He is talking about making exhaust systems from inconel, a strong, heat resistant nickel-chrome alloy. It’s heavier than titanium but more durable – so an inconel exhaust can have thinner walls than an equivalent titanium system, but be much stronger. Inconel is awkward to work – it’s hard to bend and tough to weld. Few can do it, it’s Formula One and aerospace territory, but Austin Racing can. “I hired welders from the F1 belt,” he says. “I make sure my staff are right: not just skills, but attitude too – we believe in what we’re doing, and have a shared pride in making the finest exhausts.” Their inconel systems really are something else. Incredibly light, beautifully welded with neat, polished external and internal seams, the smooth metal has an unearthly, slippery feel.
Rich explains the genesis of Austin Racing: “When Aprilia brought out the RSV4 in 2009 it was, wow! I bought one, but it had a horrendous exhaust, like most standard bikes do [because of emissions regs]. But there was nothing on the market that did the bike justice.”
So Rich designed his own copper tube link pipe, and got a local tube-bending company to bend it in stainless steel. “Then I bought an end-can from eBay, cut it down to the shape I wanted, and made my own exhaust,” he says.
Rich admits he had no clue of gas flow physics, just visual and sonic aesthetics. “I’d done engineering at college and I’ve always been into bikes, but most of my life I’ve been a professional drummer. Maybe that’s why I appreciate the sound of a good
exhaust – it has to sound right.” Rich posted his end can on a US-based RSV4 forum. “I had no intention of selling them,” he says. “But around 50 people asked if they could have one. I said, ‘Er... maybe?’ and went back to my supplier and asked for 10, 20, then 50 more. It went crazy. Within months I got to 100. I knew I was passionate about it, and I realised I could make a business out of it. But it had to be special.” Rich set about learning everything he could about exhausts, including gas flow physics and materials technology. He gained a huge amount of knowledge – and even bought his own dyno to help develop the performance of his systems. “Our systems are painstakingly developed,” says Rich. “With inconel we have a head start; it’s six times more thermally efficient than titanium, so it disperses hot gas and cools down much quicker. In back-to-back tests with Akrapovic, our system gives around 5bhp more. We’ve also put a lot of effort into making them dB controllable, via baffles that don’t sap performance.” And the future for Austin Racing? “Our systems aren’t yet homologated for use in Europe,” says Rich. “I don’t want to become too big, as I’d be afraid of losing the soul of what Austin Racing is. I just want us to keep making the most beautiful exhausts in the world.”