With direct relationships with over 170 world championship titles in two- and four-wheeled motorsport, Akrapovič is perhaps the most winning go-Schneider shop in history. For many enthusiasts, however, their first awareness of the brand did not come from the racetrack – it came from the Aftermarket. Her lightweight, beautifully welded Titan exhaust systems have become legends in garages and forums around the world.
A legacy in the race
The company was born out of passion – and the need. Igor Akrapovič, a former motorcyclist and tuner, began modifying bicycles for themselves and his passengers in the early 90s. At a time when only Japanese and American companies produced high-end exhaust systems, Igor saw the opportunity to close a performance gap in Europe. The big breakthrough came in the German World Championship Superbike World Championship, in which a private man Marchen Schmidt amazed the paddock with two consecutive podium with an Akrapovič system. One of the few differences between his Kawasaki and the factory wheels? The exhaust. From that moment on, the phone didn’t stop ringing – starting with Kawasaki Japan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aofu7a8nsby
Until 1999, Akrapovič supported all Japanese factory -superbike teams. In 2002 they entered MotoGP and today delivered exhaust systems for over 80% of the leading class. On the four-spacious side, you have contributed to more than 40% of the WEC cars, including several Le Mans winners. Her first big victory in the automotive duration came with Porsche in the Nürburgring 24h in 2008.
In this rare look behind the scenes in the extensive facilities of Akrapovič near Ljubljana, Slovenia, we follow the path from the raw titanium to world fittings hardware, whereby we uncover the meticulous technical and racing DNA that is doing everything.
Day one: F & e- and laboratory tests
Our first stop was the material test laboratory, in which raw materials and sampling are brought to their limits. Every 100 parts or something Akrapovič grabs a sample to check the hardness, sweat integrity and chemical composition. If something is over, production stops. It is a high-stand game in which Metallurgy Motorsport hits.
Next we moved to the measuring center, where everything is scanned and verified from jigs to finished parts. With your “scan box” you can quickly prototype or reverse applications with low volumistics reverse or perfect for custom jobs or new OEM cooperation. The famous casting division of the brand -complicated with its own foundry -creates extremely complex forms such as turbo stems and collector housings, which would be almost impossible with traditional manufacturing techniques.
Dyno time and sound science
Without an in-house dynamometer, no performance exhaust mark would be complete, and the Akrapovičs is as progressive as you would expect. You use it to validate electricity gains, optimize the sound and to ensure compliance with emissions and to evaluate each design against OEM systems. But power is not the only priority – and is sacred. The team of engineers from Akrapovič carry out sound engineering tests to choose an acoustic character and to meet the racial regulations. In many ways, treat the sound as a composer treats the sound. The result? Exhaust notes that are different, aggressive and immediately recognizable.
The racing department
In a separate building is the racing department of Akrapovič, which is occupied by 18 specialists. Your focus? Development of innovative systems for MotoGP, WorldSBK and endurance racing. They are also embedded if necessary, collect real-time feedback and support factory teams. More than 90% of your data comes from OEM partners, with the meeting takes place in the main production line.
Interestingly, some race exhaust systems only last 2,500 km depending on the racing format. That is below 1,600 miles – just enough for an intensive weekend before retiring.
The shelf life laboratory: meet Sabrina
The durability is important, especially for street applications and long -distance columns. Enter the motorcycle duration dyno (MDD), in which bicycles are tested with the robot system under extreme conditions using a robot system with the “Sabrina” number. These tests often exceed 10,000 kilometers of simulated abuse – corresponds to over 100,000 kilometers on the street. A fuel system is difficult to integrate in the bike to run the tests continuously. As soon as the run is complete, the engineers disassemble the exhaust for the analysis and ensured that he not only passed the performance test, but also the punished test.
Beyond the exhaust systems: the full portfolio
Akrapovič may be known for exhaust gas, but also produce carbon fiber parts, diffusers, mirror caps and more. While the CO2 parts are more about visual improvement than the performance, they stop the company’s light design philosophy. Your bicycle product line covers everything from scooters and road bikes to off-road and adventure models. On the car page, you offer complete systems An-von CAT-BACK setups to rain pipes and even from components of the GT3 degree for elite motor sports customers.
Day two: series production
The second day of our visit brought us to the series production system, a massive building that is about three times as large as the Akrapovič headquarters. Inside we found the “tube manufacturer” (just as it sounds), cutting stations as well as manual and robot welding bays. Due to the complexity of titanium and composite components, the company combines human craftsmanship with automation. The final assembly and quality control will continue to be carried out by highly qualified employees, many of whom come from technical backgrounds or motorsports themselves.
Everything remains 100% made in Slovenia and distributed in four facilities that were around a hill outside of Ljubljana. Even the company’s logo recently received an update via F&E. Despite its size and success, Akrapovič remains a practical company that is heated by racing tension and technical obsession.
From the garage to the network
What started to go faster as a racing driver has become a worldwide name that was familiar with Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche and Yamaha. With over 2,000 Aftermarket partners, dozens of Fabrik racing programs and a call for obsessive materials science, Akrapovič is much more than an exhaust brand -they are a yardstick for performance engineering.
The tour of the factory showed which photos and YouTube clips never could: This is not just a brand. It is a craft. One that was born in the race – and shaped by him.
