In 1952, Rotax receives an award for its key contribution to post-war economic development. The engine manufacturer quickly gains an established position in the market and, less than a decade after the war, is an integral part of Austria's economic structure.  The State Prize First Class is awarded to the company on the occasion of the Wels Volksfest. It's a festival without equal - here, just as at other trade fairs, Rotax attracts enormous attention. Politicians, public figures and, not least, hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the trade fair pavilions to scrutinize the then popular Rotax engines. According to the Linzer Volksblatt newspaper dated 09/13/1952, “the Rotax pavilion is one of the most attractive exhibitions due to its modern form and stylish design”. Rotax is also, they say, one of Austria’s “largest and best-known engine manufacturing companies. Thanks to the continual expansion of the production site at Gunskirchen and constant increases in production, the workforce, which had decreased to 80 in 1946, has once again risen to over 300.”