Rotax is the brand name for a range of

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal co ...

s developed and manufactured by the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n company BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG (until 2016 BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co. KG), in turn owned by the Canadian Bombardier Recreational Products. Rotax

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either direct ...

and advanced

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...

engines are used in a wide variety of small land, sea and airborne vehicles. Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) use them in their own range of such vehicles. In the light aircraft class, in 1998 Rotax outsold all other aero engine manufacturers combined.Gunston, W.; "''World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines''", 4th Edition, Patrick Stephens Ltd, 1998, Page 170.

History

The company was founded in 1920 in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

, Germany, as ROTAX-WERK AG. In 1930, it was taken over by Fichtel & Sachs and transferred its operations to

Schweinfurt Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultural and educational hub. The urban a ...

, Germany. Operations were moved to Wels, Austria, in 1943 and finally to Gunskirchen, Austria, in 1947. In 1959, the majority of Rotax shares were taken over by the Vienna-based

Lohner-Werke Bombardier Transportation Austria GmbH is an Austrian subsidiary company of Bombardier Transportation located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in the 19th century by Jacob Lohner as Lohner-Werke or simply ''Lohner'' as a luxury coachbuilding fir ...

, a manufacturer of car and railway wagon bodies. In 1970, Lohner-Rotax was bought by the Canadian

Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Inc. () is a Canadian business jet manufacturer. It was also formerly a manufacturer of commercial jets, public transport vehicles, trains, and recreational vehicles, with the last being spun-off as Bombardier Recreational Pro ...

The former Bombardier branch, Bombardier Recreational Products, now an independent company, uses Rotax engines in its ground vehicles,

personal water craft A personal watercraft (PWC), also called water scooter or jet ski, is a recreational watercraft that a rider sits or stands on, not within, as in a boat. PWCs have two style categories, first and most popular being a runabout or "sit down" whe ...

, and

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

Applications

Snowmobiles

Ski-Doo snowmobiles from Bombardier Recreational Products are equipped with Rotax engines, including two-stroke and four-stroke, turbocharged and naturally aspirated, two- and three-cylinder models.

Aircraft

Rotax supplies aircraft engines for

ultralight aircraft Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft c ...

and

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...

Motorcycles

The

Can-Am The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, or Can-Am, was an SCCA/ CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1987. History Can-Am started out as a race series for group 7 sports racers with two races in Canada (''Can'') and four races in the United ...

division of

developed a line of motorcycles starting in 1971, powered by Rotax engines. The Can-Am motorcycle operation was outsourced to Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles in 1983, with production ending in 1987. Motorcycle manufacturers using Rotax engines, either Rotax-branded or branded for the OEM, include

Aprilia Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded immediately after World War II in Noale, Italy, by Alberto Beggio. The company started as a manufacturer of bicycles and moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. ...

, BMW (F and G series), Buell and KTM.

resumed motorcycle production with a series of on-road three-wheel motorcycles, starting with the Spyder, using Rotax engines. As of 2020, there are three models: the Ryker uses the 2-cylinder 600 ACE and 3-cylinder 900 ACE, the Spyder F3 and the Spyder RT use the 3-cylinder 1330 ACE.

Personal watercraft

As of 2020, all Sea-Doo brand

personal watercraft A personal watercraft (PWC), also called water scooter or jet ski, is a recreational watercraft that a rider sits or stands on, not within, as in a boat. PWCs have two style categories, first and most popular being a runabout or "sit down" whe ...

from Bombardier Recreational Products are equipped with four-stroke, supercharged and normally aspirated, three-cylinder Rotax engines of the ACE (Advanced Combustion Efficiency) series.

Off-road vehicles

Can-Am Off-Road vehicles from Bombardier Recreational Products are equipped with Rotax engines.

Karting

The company introduced the Rotax Max for

karting Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on fu ...

in 1998, and started organizing the Rotax Max Challenge in 2000. It also introduced the Mojo karting tyres in 2006 and the XPS lubricants in 2010.

Products

Aircraft engines

3Xtrim3X55TrainerC-IFUF46Rotax912Sinstallation

Rotax engines designed specifically for light aircraft include both four-stroke and two-stroke models. Current models are: *

Rotax 912 The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, l ...

series, four-stroke *

Rotax 914 The Rotax 914 is a turbo-charged, four-stroke, four-cylinder, horizontally opposed aircraft engine with air-cooled cylinders and water-cooled cylinder heads. It is designed and built by the Austrian company BRP-Powertrain, owned by Bombar ...

series, four-stroke * Rotax 915 series, four-stroke Rotax 503 display

Historical models no longer in production include: * Rotax 275, two-stroke * Rotax 277, two-stroke * Rotax 377, two-stroke * Rotax 447 UL, two-stroke *

Rotax 503 The Rotax 503 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catlog'', pages 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1995. As of 2011 the R ...

UL, two-stroke * Rotax 532 UL, two-stroke * Rotax 535 certified two-stroke *

Rotax 582 The Rotax 582 is a two-stroke, two-cylinder, rotary intake valve, oil-in-fuel or oil injection pump, liquid-cooled, gear reduction-drive aircraft engine manufactured by BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG. It is for use in non-certified aircraft operati ...

UL, two-stroke * Rotax 618 UL, two-stroke

Karting engines

The Rotax MAX engine karting engine is a two-stroke engine series, launched in 1997.

OEM

The company also produces unbranded engines, parts and complete powertrains for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). Uses include motor bikes and scooters, with complete engines including the Rotax 122 and Rotax 804.

References

External links

Official WebsiteRotax Aircraft Engines
{{Rotax aeroengines Aircraft engine manufacturers of Austria Bombardier Recreational Products Manufacturing companies established in 1920 Kart manufacturers Motorcycle engine manufacturers Motorcycle manufacturers of Austria Two-stroke gasoline engines Automotive motorsports and performance companies Austrian brands 1920 establishments in Germany Engine manufacturers of Austria Economy of Upper Austria