Max Fenton has had an unconventional route to Savic’s workshop door – but then you could say the same thing about his unique blend of assembly and mechanical design skills. At 28, Max is arguably one of the best-trained young engineers in Australian e-moto circles, bringing us the benefits of nearly a decade at the legendary BMW/MINI production plant in his native Oxfordshire.

Max was on his way back to the UK after a stint with Shotover Systems, the Kiwi firm that builds Formula 1 camera gimbals, when he met an old contact of Dennis’s on the steps of a Mayan temple in Guatemala. It was the beginning of what Max calls “a serendipitous journey” that’s now landed him in Albert Park, in an apartment overlooking – naturally – the Grand Prix circuit.

Max is the latest addition to an assembly team that boasts some serious international creds. His own immersion in German engineering began at 16, when he left school to start an apprenticeship at BMW in Oxford. For four years, he studied mechanics, machining and auto-electrics, completing his apprentice program before joining BMW’s Specialised Tooling department, where he spent five years while ‘topping up’ his electronic smarts with an electrical engineering degree at Oxford Brookes University.

This rare combination of mechanical and electrical knowledge has given Max a unique capability to design new processes and ‘jigs’ to optimise our assembly line. Indeed, while building our bikes since early 2025, he’s already designed and implemented six tools to improve our efficiency – including one that aligns our front-fork reflectors, and another that ensures the VIN stamp is laser-cut in precisely the same spot on our motor-casings and headstocks. He says it’s the “tip of the iceberg of what’s to come”.

“Dennis has given me this amazing licence to find opportunities to improve our assembly efficiency,” says Max, “and I’m so excited by this mix of hands-on assembly work and novel mechanical design… which gives me the freedom to make a real difference on the shop floor.”

Just as exciting has been the opportunity to hop on the C-Series: an experience Max says he’ll never forget. “I’m an avid rider but this was my first time on an electric bike, and what a machine! Being part of this passionate team that’s built such an incredible vehicle from the ground up is totally awe inspiring. To know that I’m now playing a little part in it – well, what can I say: it’s the coolest experience of my career.”

Cooler than BMW? We’ll take that – thank you, Max!