The OTK GROUP becomes bigger, and proudly welcomes the historical British brand, Gillard. The well-known British brand, launched in 1980, will become an integral part of OTK brand range.
Gillard is the only English manufacturer to have won the European Championship (2001,2004,2005) and the World Championship (2005), furthermore, some of the most famous F1 drivers, such as Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas, raced with Gillard chassis.
In 2020, after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Tim decided to retire, and OTK, that has always admired Gillard’s work, took the opportunity to add this prestigious name to its portfolio. The OTK Kart Group, considering the prestige of the brand, is proud to carry on Gillard legacy and from the next 2022 homologation, the English chassis will be made by OTK Kart Group.
Tim Gillard:” After 41 years in business and having experienced the satisfaction and pride of seeing chassis I designed and built win the CIK FIA World Championship in 2005 (Oliver Oakes) and the CIK FIA Senior European Championships in 2001 (Carlo van Dam), in 2004 (Nick de Bruijn) and the Junior European Championship in 2005 (Michael Christensen), 3 European Rotax Championships, very many International races and numerous National Championships around the World, I decided in December 2020 it was time to retire, realising that everything must come to an end eventually. I was subsequently surprised to hear from Oliver Oakes that the OTK Kart Group were very interested in incorporating the Gillard brand within their range of Karts and within a short space of time an agreement was reached to enable this to happen. I would like to wish the OTK Kart Group every success in the future and look forward to the Gillard name being represented in karting competitions throughout the World for years to come.”
Roberto Robazzi:” I’ve always admired Tim’s work and I’ve always respected him and his brand, therefore when I heard he wanted to retire I proposed to him, to incorporate Gillard’s name in the OTK brand range. It’s a great honour for me to have the only British chassis brand capable of winning a World Championship as part of my brands. OTK will carry on Gillard’s legacy with enormous pride.”
Oliver Oakes: “It’s great to see the Gillard Brand become part of the OTK Kart Group. It brings together two companies for which I have a lot of admiration as well as strong personal connections both on and off the track. I am excited to see OTK Kart Group continue the legacy that Tim has spent a lifetime building.”