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Ray Martinez:
History of REM Performance
ATV Aluminum Nerf Bars, Bumpers,
Grab Bars, Skid Plates, & More
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REM
Performance's Ray Martinez |
(Huntington Beach, CA) - Ray Martinez,
the founder and driving force behind REM Performance
has been involved in the ATV aftermarket parts industry
for many years. Ray first became known in the industry
when he was involved with Pro Armour. Ray took the
knowledge he gained in the industry and decided
to apply it to his own designs, which resulted in
the birth of REM Performance.
Ray decided that in order for his products to
be the best they could be, he would need input
from the people who put equipment to the test
on a regular basis: The racers. In 2003, Ray approached
Bill Ballance and the Indianapolis Trade Show.
“Bill was still riding his Honda 250R back
then. We went up to him and said ‘Hey Bill,
we’d like to make some products for you’.
He said yes, and we began doing some testing,”
stated Ray.
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#1 Bill Ballance
headed to the starting line for the last
time on his Honda TRX 250R in 2003, and
the following year Bill switched full-time
to the Yamaha YFZ450, but one thing remained
the same, he continued to run his Bull
Horn bumper designed by Ray Martinez
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One of the first products REM made for the #1
GNCC quad was the signature bullhorn bumper. “Back
then the bumper was made out of thinner tubing
than what we use now. I remember thinking that
it wasn’t going to hold up. It came back
looking like a pretzel!” Ray said with a
laugh. “We made a new stronger one and that
actually ended up being Bill’s signature
look”.
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Atleast
once a season, Ray Martinez makes the trip
back east for a GNCC Race, so he can get
a chance to talk with the ATV racers that
run REM Performance products |
Making products for Ballance was only the beginning
of Ray’s relationship with the GNCC racing
icon. “I was at one of the GNCC races. Bill
had just come off the track and was back at his
trailer, and a little boy came up to him and asked
him for an autograph. Bill was exhausted and covered
head to toe in mud. He could barely even open
his eyes. He looked at the boy and said ‘Of
course!’ Then Bill grabbed a brand new jersey,
signed it and gave it to the kid. I just thought
wow, what a stand up guy!” Ray recalled.
“Bill and I have been friends ever since.”
Ray’s respect for Bill is just one example
of his value for the input his racers have regarding
his products. “If the manufacture’s
aren’t listening to their racers then they’re
crazy because these guys put the products to the
test,” said Martinez. REM Performance has
taken many suggestions from it’s racers
to improve their products including putting drainage
holes in the bottom of their aluminum skid plates
and also in their heel guards. “A lot of
racers said the drain holes were necessary to
get all of the mud out after racing or riding.
Also mud build up in the heel guards is a problem
with some other brands of heel guards, so we took
that into consideration when designing those products,”
Ray stated. Another innovation incorporated into
the design of the nerf bars is a 7% sweep that
allows racers to use the nerf bar for leverage
when going into a hard turn.
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REM Performance
utilizes racer input in designing their
aluminum ATV products, which may only make
a subtle difference in the appearance of
their products from other manufacturers,
but in race conditions these enhancements
really stand out. For example, REM Performance
incorporates large drainage holes in their
frame skid plates & heal guards, which
helps prevent mud build up and really helps
with cleaning the ATV as well
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