Apico Factory Racing
Heritage
Apico (trading as Vesty UK LTD) originated back in 1984 as an off-road clothing and apparel brand created by 3 Time World Trials Champion Yrjö Vesterinen. The Apico brand was well known for sponsoring riders and teams in all off-road disciplines including motocross, trials and enduro around the globe throughout the ’80s and ’90s. The clothing was a radical development away from the traditional garments and technically advanced, if not inventive. Some of the off-road products such as motocross & enduro pants with built-in kidney belts and Lyrca® trials clothing were industry firsts. These came to existence from experience, feedback and ingenuity. The company has always had a good insight into what products the market needs. This is attributed to the experience of the staff and understanding what a rider needs to give them the edge in competition.
It was during the early 1990s the decision was made to move away from making off-road clothing. This was due to the increasing costs of manufacturing quality garments in Europe vs. the competition making their clothing in the Far East. The next stage in the company’s evolution was again, another industry first. Apico became one of the first companies in the world to start manufacturing their own aftermarket hard parts with cast & forged levers. It was around 2010 that the company rebranded as Apico Factory Racing and incorporated this into its logo.
Today
As well as the own brands already mentioned, Vesty UK LTD distributes some of the most prestigious names in the world of off-road. This includes having the sole UK distribution for many brands including Answer, Arai, Boyesen, Forma, GET, Hebo, Leatt, Pro Taper, Polisport and Twin Air. We also distribute All Balls, Bolt, Castrol, DID, Gold Fren, Hinson, KYB, Michelin, Pirelli, Putoline and Vertex amongst others. Having all these products under one roof allows us to be the one stop shop for the U.K. Off-Road Dealer network. Apico Factory Racing now boasts its own product range comprising of over 3,500 individual own-brand parts with over 30,000 SKU’s from other brands distributed from our 25,000 sq. ft. Burnley headquarters.
Since the company has moved into the new chapter under Dylan & Anna, we have developed many channels within the business, and outside of the company.
We now have a state of the art B2B/B2C Apico Factory Racing website that allows customers real-time stock information as well as operating directly from our sophisticated SAP system. These functions all integrate with our marketing functionality providing a finely tuned communication system. We still offer the personal touch to our trade customers as always, with 6 area sales representatives on the road covering the whole of the UK. Our office sales team has grown in stature, as have other areas of the business including procurement and distribution to cope with the ever-increasing demands of the market.
As a company, Apico Factory Racing is heavily involved in off-road motorcycle sport and areas around developing the riders of tomorrow. The Apico 2 Stroke Festival, The Apico BSMA Nationals, Weston Beach Race, sponsorship of many race teams, riders and other events are prime examples of how we support the industry and look to improve the visibility of the sport as well as our own brand.
