Motor Sports Industry Revs Up

Spencer Owyang says he's living the  in Watsonville.

He and his wife, Carol, manufacture specialty motorcycle parts in a small shop in the Strawberry Business Park. Their 10-year-old company, , has been in Watsonville for three years and Spencer says business is brisk.

"Watsonville's been good for us," Spencer said, touting the access to support services, proximity to Highway 1 and ability to hit the ground running when CRG was ready to transition from a building on the Owyangs' rural Watsonville property to a separate shop.

CRG's success comes from its focus, Spencer explained to a group of local leaders during .

"We do stay within a niche," Spencer said. "We stay in a very narrow process."

CRG has produced a made-to-order race car steering wheel. But the bulk of the company's work—85 to 90 percent—focuses on just a few accessories, namely carbon fiber mirrors, motorcycle levers and rearsets.

They started with the levers 10 years ago. CRG invented the mirrors. All the parts are cut from solid aluminum billets in-house. While not the most cost-effective production method, the Owyangs believe machining the parts at their shop is the best way to create a high-end, quality product.

"I've just always had a real enthusiasm for motor sports," Spencer said.

The price of technology has come down in the past decade, making it more accessible for small, specialty outfits like CRG to open up. The business operates two work bays, where parts are milled and cleaned (they're painted elsewhere), then shipped. The business has six employees, not including the Owyangs.

Their ideas come from going to racing events and, although Spencer's background is in bicycles, CRG doesn't cross over into the bike industry.

"We like to think we're in touch with the customer," Spencer said. "We know the customer."

Read more about CRG products in this article.

Editor's note: This is one in a series about unique Watsonville businesses. Read more here.