Firing on all cylinders Race Winning Brands takes another win with acquisition of Victory 1 Performance

Firing on all cylinders Race Winning Brands takes another win with acquisition of Victory 1 Performance

May 21, 2021

Mentor, OH – Race Winning Brands, Inc., (“Race Winning Brands”, “RWB”, or the “Company”) a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries, LLC (“Kinderhook”) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Victory 1 Performance, Inc. (“Victory”), a leading supplier of manufactured and forged high-performance titanium and alloy valves. Victory represents the eighth add-on acquisition for Race Winning Brands and Kinderhook’s 111th automotive transaction. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered and operating out of a world-class facility in Mooresville, North Carolina (f/k/a “Race City USA”) Victory has been a stable source of valvetrain components for countless engine builders, cylinder head manufacturers, and racers for nearly three decades. Victory manufactures titanium and inconel valves, custom machined retainers, lash caps, valve locks, and stainless-steel intake and exhaust valves. Victory has emerged as the industry leader in forged engine valves for the high-performance industry.

“Our goal at RWB is to provide innovative products to enthusiasts of all ages in automotive, powersports, and beyond,” said Bob Bruegging, President of Race Winning Brands. “Victory 1 is a great example of a company built by a family for those very kinds of enthusiasts – a perfect addition to our family of brands. They make a great product with applications across automotive and powersports that we are very excited to incorporate into our product line.”

“The Victory Valve is synonymous with strength, quality, and reliability,” said Derek Dahl, Chief Executive Officer of Victory 1 Performance. “We look forward to working closely with the team at RWB to continue to serve the community of enthusiasts that have relied on and enjoyed our products for nearly three decades. We are also excited about the prospect of reaching new customers through RWB’s extended platform.”

“We are very excited that Race Winning Brands has added yet another premium brand to its strong stable of products for automotive and powersports enthusiasts, said Paul Cifelli, Managing Director at Kinderhook. “This transaction represents the eighth add-on acquisition at Race Winning Brands and yet another example of the team’s ability to continue to execute effectively on the M&A strategy. We look forward to working with Victory to accelerate growth and bolster our product line at RWB with yet another best-in-class product.”

For additional information about this transaction, please contact: 
Thomas Tuttle
Managing Director
(212) 201-6781
ttuttle@kinderhook.com
 
Paul Cifelli
Managing Director
(212) 201-6797
pcifelli@kinderhook.com
 
Sam Keenan
Vice President
(212) 201-6795
skeenan@kinderhook.com

About Kinderhook Industries

Founded in 2003, Kinderhook Industries, LLC is a private investment firm that manages over $3.3 billion of committed capital. We have made in excess of 250 investments and follow-on acquisitions since inception. Kinderhook’s investment philosophy is predicated on matching unique, growth-oriented investment opportunities with exceptional financial expertise and our proprietary network of operating partners. Our focus is on middle market businesses with defensible niche market positioning in the healthcare services, environmental / business services, and automotive / light manufacturing sectors. We have a track record of successfully and consistently building industry leaders.

For more information, please visit https://www.kinderhook.com

About Race Winning Brands

Race Winning Brands (RWB) is the leading manufacturer of racing and high-performance parts sold to automotive and powersports markets. RWB is the preferred source for high-end pistons, engine blocks, cylinder heads, intake manifolds, connecting rods, crankshafts, clutches and other engine and driveline- related performance components. RWB markets its products through multiple prominent brands including JE Pistons, Wiseco Performance Products, K1 Technologies, Diamond Pistons, Trend Performance, Rekluse Motor Sports, Falicon Racing, CV4, X2 Valvetrain, MGP Connecting Rods, ProX Racing Parts, Dart Machinery, and Manley Performance Products. RWB sells to a diverse and unmatched customer base of professional and sportsman racers, engine builders, enthusiasts, OEMs, automotive and powersports dealers and wholesale distributors. RWB is headquartered in Mentor, Ohio with sales offices and manufacturing operations in strategic locations throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia.

For more information, please visit http://www.racewinningbrands.com

Derek Dahl