Rotax
Rotax is the brand name for a range of internal combustion engines developed and manufactured by the Austrian company BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG (until 2016 BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co. KG), in turn owned by the Canadian Bombardier Recreational Products. Rotax four-stroke and advanced two-stroke engines are used in a wide variety of small land, sea and airborne vehicles. Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) use them in their own range of such vehicles. In the light aircraft class, in 1998 Rotax outsold all other aero engine manufacturers combined. History. The company was founded in 1920 in Dresden, Germany , as ROTAX-WERK AG. In 1930, it was taken over by Fichtel & Sachs and transferred its operations to Schweinfurt, Germany. Operations were moved to Wels, Austria, in 1943 and finally to Gunskirchen, Austria, in 1947. In 1959, the majority of Rotax shares were taken over by the Vienna-based Lohner-Werke, a manufacturer of car and railway wagon bodies. In 1970, Lohner-Rotax was bought by the Canadian Bombardier Inc. The former Bombardier branch, Bombardier Recreational Products, now an independent company, uses Rotax engines in its ground vehicles, personal water craft, and snowmobiles. Applications. Snowmobiles. Ski-Doo snowmobiles from Bombardier  Recreational Products are equipped with Rotax engines, including two-stroke and four-stroke, turbocharged and naturally aspirated, two- and three-cylinder models. Aircraft. Rotax supplies aircraft engines for ultralight aircraft, light aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. Motorcycles. The Can-Am division of Bombardier Inc. developed a line of motorcycles starting in 1971, powered by Rotax engines. The Can-Am motorcycle operation was outsourced to Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles in 1983, with production ending in 1987. Motorcycle manufacturers using Rotax engines, either Rotax-branded or branded for the OEM, include Aprilia, BMW (F and G series), Buell and KTM. Can-Am resumed  motorcycle production with a series of on-road three-wheel motorcycles, starting with the Spyder, using Rotax engines. As of 2020, there are three models: the Ryker uses the 2-cylinder 600 ACE and 3-cylinder 900 ACE, the Spyder F3 uses the 3-cylinder 1300 ACE, and the Spyder RT uses the 3-cylinder 1330 ACE. Personal watercraft. As of 2020, all Sea-Doo brand personal watercraft from Bombardier Recreational Products are equipped with four-stroke, supercharged and normally aspirated, three-cylinder Rotax engines of the ACE (Advanced Combustion Efficiency) series. Off-road vehicles. Can-Am Off-Road vehicles  from Bombardier Recreational Products are equipped with Rotax engines. Karting. The company introduced the Rotax MAX engine for karting in 1998, and started organizing the Rotax Max Challenge in 2000. It also introduced the Mojo karting tyres in 2006 and the XPS lubricants in 2010. Products. Aircraft engines. Rotax engines designed specifically for light aircraft include both four-stroke and two-stroke models. Current models are: Historical models no longer in production include: Karting engines. The Rotax MAX engine karting engine is a 2-stroke engine series, launched in 1997. OEM. The company also produces unbranded engines, parts and complete  powertrains for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). Uses include motor bikes and scooters, with complete engines including the Rotax 122 and Rotax 804.