Ten Minutes with Lewis - Autosport Aftermath

So, with Autosport International 2018 in the history books, we decided to catch up with Lewis Edwards our Commercial Manager to give you a run down on the show and the best bits from his point of view.

RL: Autosport International is always a highlight on the motorsport calendar in the UK, how did it go from your perspective?

LE: The Autosport International Show, it is one of the few times a year we get to meet face to face with our customers both current and new. The show offers us a great opportunity to showcase our latest products, enabling us to explain in person why they were developed and the benefits associated.

It’s important to us that we design and produce new products to the best of our ability, pushing the boundaries in design and technology and paying attention to every detail, no matter how small. Once again, the Autosport show is not only a great platform to share this message with our customers but just as importantly receive their feedback.

A further advantage to the AIS is the opportunity it presents to our staff. We actively encourage them to spend time walking the show to see how the market place can sometimes change and evolve. What products are trending, what might be missing and of course for them to gain a greater understandings of our customer’s needs.

The show itself was exceptionally successful for meeting new and existing customers. Many of our customers regularly make suggestions for new products based on their personal needs or experiences, all of which we always consider and investigate so as to provide solutions.

RL: What were the highlights of the show for you?

LE: If I focus on our own stand that would be much easier as the show had such a high calibre of vehicles and displays this year.

It was truly great to have our European Partners JAPO Motorsport travel all the way over from Germany to support us with the show, along with showcasing the Brand-New Opel Astra TCR Car.

A real crowd pleaser was Webster Race Engineering’s Fast Company 1967 Mustang which competes in the UK and European Pro Modified Drag Racing Scene. The sheer power and incredible attention to detail on the build is simply stunning and for Racinglines it presented a great opportunity for customers to see our product in place.

Kirsty Widdrington’s & DLR Motorsport’s “Syril the Silvia” was also a huge success with the crowds with the ever growing interest in Drifting (and the fact its now an iconic JDM car). Kirsty is a shining example of how females can be successful in motorsport, which is something Racinglines as a business is very passionate about and will continue to support.

Lastly was having the opportunity to explain how our new products work directly to our customers, such as our new Integrated Fuel Swirl Pot and Billet Catch Tank, it was great hearing all the positive feedback from customers throughout the 4 days.

RL: I know most of the time you were very busy on the stand and in and out of meetings, but on your brief wander around the show, was there any vehicles that caught your eye?

LE: For me personally the BAC Mono was an impressive vehicle. There may have been more expensive and iconic cars on display but the attention to detail across every aspect of the MONO is seriously high, it simply oozes quality and perfection.

The Jaguar I-Pace eTROPHY was a nice surprise. With a huge focus and continued growth in electric vehicles their design stood out for me. The aggressive looks and vivid colour scheme would certainly make the car a favourite with motorsport fans I’m sure.

Finally it was great to see our friends at VOODOO display their Fiesta ST in it’s wild matt grey over red livery.

RL: Customers get to see the awesome cars on display, amazing stands and motorsport up close and personal at a show like Autosport International. But what challenges do you face when setting up a stand like Racinglines before the doors open?

LE: The main challenge we face is the logistics of arrival and set up. It’s a bit like going to battle with 1000s of other exhibitors to get to your stand at times. The crucial thing for us is the presentation of our brand, attention to detail is critical to our display and this is by far the most time consuming element to set up days.

It helps tremendously when you have hard working, passionate and dedicated staff, without them we couldn’t achieve half of what we do so I guess now is a great opportunity to thank them for their efforts.

RL: If you could choose one race or rally car from any era, to own and exhibit at a future Autosport International, what would it be?

LE: This is a struggle. Growing up I always had a love for the DTM Series, and one car that always stuck out for me was the 2002 Mercedes CLK-DTM, I even remember having a remote control car replica, but now I guess I lust after the real thing.

RL: Thanks once again for taking the time to speak with us and give our customer an insight into what it was like at Autosport International this year!

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