Dart Machinery Acquired By Race Winning Brands; Ted Keating Returns As President

By Doug Kaufman

Originally published in Engine Builder

(Left) Brian Reese, Race Winning Brands CEO; (Center) Richard Maskin, Dart Machinery’s founder; (Right) Bob Romanelli, Race Winning Brands Chairman of the Board

Race Winning Brands Inc. (RWB), a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries LLC, has acquired Dart Machinery Ltd. (Dart), a performance industry leader and manufacturer of high-performance engine blocks, cylinder heads and intake manifolds.

Dart’s founder, Richard Maskin, will continue to play a leading role within the organization as a partner and chairman of R&D. In addition to retaining the current Dart management team, including Vice President Dave Tratechaud, former Dart General Manager Ted Keating returns to the organization in a new role as president.

“Dart is an iconic brand and a global powerhouse in high-performance blocks, cylinder heads and intake manifolds,” said Brian Reese, CEO of Race Winning Brands. “The Dart team has built a new manufacturing center of excellence in Warren, Michigan, to power the brand with leading-edge products. We plan to leverage Richard Maskin’s championship engine building expertise across RWB’s portfolio of race-winning products. This strategic acquisition helps drive our mission of leading racers to victory and enthusiasts to enjoyment, while extending RWB adjacently into new engine parts categories.”

Maskin founded Dart Machinery in his two-car Oak Park, Michigan, garage in 1981. Maskin is an icon within the racing industry stemming from his technical acumen. The 2015 Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee has earned multiple National Hot Rod Association Pro Stock world championships as an engine builder, while Dart-equipped racers have dominated professional and sportsman racing for decades.

“This move is about supporting the racers and preserving the Dart legacy,” explained Maskin. “By joining forces with Race Winning Brands and welcoming Ted Keating back, we will be accelerating new product development investments and further our focus on serving racers and engine builders. We already have several exciting new products in development. As shareholders in RWB, Dave Tratechaud and I are impressed with the RWB vision and future.”

Race Winning Brands is a manufacturer of high-performance and racing related components sold to the automotive and powersports markets. RWB is headquartered in Mentor, Ohio, and markets its products globally through a portfolio of leading brands, including JE Pistons, Wiseco Performance Products, K1 Technologies, Diamond Pistons, Trend Performance, Rekluse Motor Sports and ProX Racing Parts.

For more information, visit: racewinningbrands.com, jepistons.com, wiseco.com, diamondracing.net, trendperform.com, k1technologies.com, pro-x.com, rekluse.com and dartheads.com.