From picket line to Redline...
COLLEAGUES who spent three years on a picket line in Britain's longest ever industrial dispute at an automotive components factory have joined forces to set up a new £1m motor sport venture.

Caernarfon men John Davis, Jimmy Clarke and Richard Lawson were among dozens controversially dismissed by Friction Dynamics at their plant on the outskirts of town, and are still pursuing a claim for unfair dismissal.

Now they're set to open the doors at their brand spanking new purpose-built indoor go-karting centre, based at the Cibyn industrial estate in Caernarfon, under the brand name of Redline. Having already taken on six employees, the trio say they're hopeful of easing some of the chronic unemployment in the area as they expand in the future.

Redline's administrative director John Davis said that the whole idea for the centre came about as they did their shift on the marathon picket. " We were on the picket line, sitting by the wall one summer evening watching the traffic pass", he says. "It transpired that we were all interested in speed sports - I'm into Formula 1, while Jimmy is interested in (motor) bikes and Richard has a thing about karting. The whole idea started from there, but it's taken a long time to get here."

"We did a lot of research into the potential market, and we saw that substantial numbers from these parts go as far as Sandycroft in Deeside, Warrington and Liverpool to take part in karting. They indicated that they'd support something similar closer to home."

The three travelled as far as Cumbria and south west Wales, where karting ventures had proven successful in areas with similar problems as Caernarfon of unemployment and being seen as being somewhat in the sticks. It was to inspire in them the belief that their business ideas were sound.

"We went to Maryport in Cumbria, a place similar to Caernarfon in many ways, with manufacturing in decline and jobs scarce, and also to Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, a bit off the beaten track like us, and were surprised to find how successful karting venues were in those places.

"The blokes in Maryport used redundancy payments to set up the business 25 years ago with just five karts, while their friends spent theirs on holidays and flash new cars. Now they've got a successful business with 77 karts, while their mates are still on the dole."

With Jimmy Clarke as mechanical and technical director and Richard Lawson as marketing director, Redline received advice and financial assistance from a number of sources, including Tourism Wales, Finance Wales, Venture Wales, Gwynedd Community Chest and the Community Investments Fund. John Davis says that they're now raring to go as the business officially launches on Friday, June 8th, 2007.

"We'e got 12 adult karts and six for youngsters aged eight years upwards. The adult karts have got 200cc engines, and the kids' are 160cc. This is motor sports, and the karts are anything but dodgems. They're fast pieces of equipment, although we can control speeds centrally by computer by means of transponders. Anyone driving irresponsibly, we could reduce their speed to 5mph and bring them into the pits to be sin-binned."

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