Kansas City-based WELD Racing Wheels announced recently that it is aware of counterfeiters around the world who have been producing and selling imitations of their genuine WELD Wheels, and they fully intend to protect their intellectual property rights by aggressively pursuing those involved.

“Unfortunately there are companies in the marketplace who are illegally selling counterfeit wheels that look like WELD wheels and even use WELD’s name and trademarks, but are not genuine WELD wheels,” said Norman Young, president and CEO. “These wheels are not tested to the extreme standards of a WELD wheel and will not perform like a genuine WELD wheel.”

WELD Racing has not released any information regarding where and through what channels the counterfeit wheels are being sold as of yet, but as is typically the case with counterfeit products, it’s unlikely that they’re built with the same quality materials or to the exacting standards that WELD applies to their genuine wheels. For that reason, WELD’s aggressive stance on the issue is as much about protecting its brand as it is ensuring the safety of racers who may be competing on a cheaply-made wheel in disguise.

According to Young, the fake wheels in questions are made to look identical to the real thing, and even carry WELD’s logo and trademarking, but as he points out, “These wheels are not tested to the extreme standards of a WELD wheel and will not perform like a genuine WELD wheel.”

Young went on to say, “We owe this protection and enforcement to our customers, whose safety rides on their wheels,” Young explained. “If you have encountered a fake WELD wheel, please contact WELD so we can take corrective action.”

Buyers are advised to use caution when purchasing WELD Racing wheels from sources other than direct or via authorized retailers. As a rule of thumb however — if a deal seems too good to be true, it just might be. If you have any concerns regarding the authenticity of a wheel, you can reach out to WELD by phone at 800-788-9353 or visit www.weldwheels.com.