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Design Evolution
When the padding was introduced underneath the cover, bruising became almost non-existent and the large lumps that were accepted as normal after a days racing had disappeared. Not long after that, seats were being covered for friends, all of them instantly feeling the benefits. Then while assisting his friend, Richard Weatherley in various European and World Championship races, Steve acquired experience in an arena with even higher levels of grip and demands on the drivers' bodies.
Now Steve was starting to sell the covering service to traders and local competitors. Fibreglass shells were designed to give more support and strength, and the first Tillett Seats were born.
Success In Japan
Towards the end of the 1986 season, Richard, racing with the help of ex World Champion Terry Fullerton, both went to a major race in Japan, taking the special covered seats with them. After the meeting, the enthusiastic Japanese bought the seats and Suntrad, a major Japanese dealer in karting equipment, placed an order for 100 seats.
The time was now right to split from his father's firm and set up Tillett Racing Seats as a separate company. Since that time the seat range has grown into at least 60 separate shapes and sizes, with a choice of colours, and from 1990, three different rigidities have been available. Altering the rigidity was found to change the handling of the kart and can bring about significant differences in lap times.
Innovations and Race Service
Tillett Racing Seats also pushes ahead the development of the products by providing a race support service to the World's top drivers. Over the years the list of drivers helped and sponsored by Tillett Racing seats reads like a who's who of the current motor racing elite. Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raaikonen, Michael Schumacher, Hekki Kovalinen, Robert Kubica, Jenson Button, Anthony Davidson, Daniel Wheldon, these are just some of the drivers who used Tillett seats while racing karts.
Steve travels all over Europe to develop the products with the top race teams and manufacturers, keeping the product up to date with the latest chassis trends. Out of this Race Service development programme came the Ribtec rib protector range, once again the effect of this companies innovation changed forever the design of this product worldwide.
In 1996 innovations in the RTM process were to significantly speed up production and improve product quality and in 2000 a cutting robot was acquired to further mechanise the process, speeding up production and increasing the accuracy of the finished parts.
The Business
Tillett Racing Seats has now grown from a one man operation in a garage, to a company comprising of five factory units totalling 11,000 square feet with a current workforce of 22. There is now a Tillett dealer in most karting countries throughout the world and the product has the distinction that all covered seats, even the copies, are called a "Tillett", in the same fashion as a Stanley knife, Hoover and Philips screwdriver.
New Ventures
Developing the technology to produce carbon composite kart seats accurately and efficiently has opened doors to other industries. Tillett Ltd. is now producing many carbon parts and seats for Caterham cars and now has a new range of lightweight carbon fibre car seats named the B1, B2 and B4.
However, Steve Tillett is not about to lose sight of his karting roots. He is regularly at the kart tracks with his daughter Laura racing in the British and European KF2 Championships and now his son Archie is about to start his first year of Cadet racing.
You can see Laura's web site at www.lauratillett.com
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