Factory Karts' Billy Musgrave celebrating his fifth SuperNationals win (Photo: EKN - Mattia Marmo)

Factory Karts is coming off an extremely successful 2024 season that saw the brand’s patriarch Billy Musgrave won all across the country. Following big wins at the Superkarts! USA Pro Tour SummerNationals and the Stars Championship Series ‘Clash at the Club’, the veteran went on to claim his fifth SKUSA SuperNationals triumph to become the only five-time winner of the Vegas spectacular.

For Factory Karts, 2024 has also been a year of change for the American-made brand. The year began with the company welcoming new ownership, an expanded vision, and greater resources, setting Factory Karts up against the karting manufacturers from across the globe.

Businessman Duke Vander Ark purchased Factory Karts after connecting with the Musgrave family through a long-time friend. Vander Ark – owner of a large mortgage company – is a veteran who served in the Army and has a non-profit organization that supports wounded veterans.

Factory Karts own Billy Musgrave made history with a record setting fifth victory at the SKUSA SuperNationals (Photo: On Track Promotions – otp.ca)

“Duke has been an incredible help and a godsend for us,” stated Billy Musgrave of Factory Karts. “His vision and the resources he’s brought have helped us move this forward in so many important ways.”

The family aspect of karting immediately caught the attention of Vander Ark and was a factor in his decision to purchase Factory Karts. With a primary goal of bringing in new people, Duke immediately embraced the brand’s ‘Made in the USA’ mission and is enthusiastically helping move Factory Karts forward.

Later in the year, Vander Ark hired Drew Bischof to take on the role of Vice President / Team Principal. Bischof will oversee the day-to-day operations of Factory Karts, including manufacturing, assembly, parts sales, and the Factory Karts dealer program and he will manage the newly-established national race team, Factory Karts Factory Racing, for the US manufacturer.

Bischof brings an extensive racing and management background including NASCAR and motocross, along with experience as a karting parent and mechanic for his son Jonathon Bischof, who has competed in karting for the past five years.

“Since I was a young teen, racing has always been a passion of mine,” commented Bischof. “Spinning the wrenches on the way to my son Jonathon winning races and a championship in his first few years of karting was special, and along the way we met Billy Musgrave. Now getting to help Billy and this amazing brand succeed at even higher levels, is an incredible honor. I’m excited about what the future holds for Factory Karts and how we can contribute further to the growth of our amazing sport.”

Drew Bischof – Vice President / Team Principal of Factory Karts (Photo: factorykarts.com)

One new and growing aspect of Factory Karts is the launch of their national race team. A new 53-foot hauler was purchased, outfitted with a large new tent, and utilized for the first time at the SKUSA SuperNationals 27 in Las Vegas. The 2025 season will be the official roll-out of the new Factory Karts race team, hitting major series and events throughout the year. Their 2025 schedule with specifics is to be announced soon.

The face of the company, however, remains Billy Musgrave. The veteran karter and now five-time SKUSA SuperNationals winner will continue to help the brand he founded to move forward. As the company has realigned, his role has as well to allow more time to focus on what he does best. Musgrave’s primary role is Factory Karts’ lead driver, chassis technician, head of research and development, and now race team driver coach.

With the new ownership structure, Musgrave is able to focus on his performance behind the wheel, develop the chassis and continue working with drivers under the Factory Kart banner. Winning the Superkarts! USA Pro Tour Pro Shifter championship is also a major goal for Musgrave in 2025, something that’s eluded him to this point. Musgrave spent much of the 2024 season traveling across the country, racing at the SKUSA Pro Tour, Stars Championship Series, California ProKart Challenge, and special one-off events while also working with current dealers and racers across the United States.

New hauler and tent will house the Factory Karts team in 2025 (Photo: factorykarts.com)

One of the massive projects under the Factory Karts umbrella is their in-house FZ shifter engine platform, where Musgrave has been the key figure in building it from the grown up. The 2025 season expected to be a strong rollout of Factory Karts FZ shifter kart program at the club and regional level with the goal of bringing about the renaissance of grass roots shifterkart racing in the USA.

In the weeks leading up to the SKUSA SuperNationals and now into 2025, Factory Karts is transitioning to a new location. The new home of Factory Karts is in Phoenix, Arizona, just minutes away from the Phoenix Kart Racing Association facility. The 15,000 square foot building in Arizona is more than double the square footage from what they had in southern California. The state-of-the-art facility will include a dedicated manufacturing area, and an assembly section and service rooms with ample storage for parts and kart inventory. This new location will enable Factory Karts to better serve its customers and dealers as they move into the future.

While the home of Factory Karts moves to Arizona, Musgrave remains based in Southern California working to expand the brand regionally and working with drivers weekly based at the Adams Motorsports Park in Riverside, California and at the new K1 Circuit in Winchester, California.

Factory Karts Links:

Website: factorykarts.com
Instagram: factorykarts

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