In this interview, Martin Huning of RAVENOL explains why the 24 Hours of Nürburgring is indispensable as a litmus test for development, performance, and innovation.
What significance does the 24-hour race hold for your brand?
For the RAVENOL brand, the 24-hour race is the motorsports highlight of the year. No other event showcases RAVENOL as prominently as the endurance marathon in the Eifel. We are the title partner of the event and, in addition to numerous displays around the track, our branding is featured on all vehicle start numbers and driver suits. Furthermore, we supply our products to a good third of the entire starting field.
What significance does the Nordschleife hold for your brand?
We are a company with a very broad international presence. And the Nordschleife is truly a household name everywhere and known to our customers worldwide. When customers ask me about RAVENOL’s motorsport activities, the conversation always turns to the Nordschleife very quickly.
24-hour races take place all over the world. For many, the Nordschleife at the Nürburgring makes all the difference. How do you see that, and why?
The “Green Hell” certainly lives up to its name as a racetrack in and of itself and demands everything from drivers and equipment over the long distance. To my knowledge, the Nürburgring is the longest permanent racetrack in the world. The total number of vehicles is also impressive. The variety of vehicle categories across more than twenty classes is unique.
What attributes and emotions do you generally associate with the Nordschleife, and what makes this track so special during the 24-hour race?
As is well known, the Nordschleife is open to anyone who wants to take it for a spin during public driving sessions. This is a special experience for motorsport fans and makes the Nordschleife very “accessible” and familiar. The track will also be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year. It has seen a lot and has always provided visitors with excellent entertainment throughout all that time. And the fans themselves are just as special as the Nordschleife itself. It’s truly impressive what goes into “creative camping” at the 24 Hours of the Nordschleife, especially in terms of the structures built. And then the fans transform the Eifel into one big “motorsport festival.”
What exactly does it take to be successful on the Nordschleife and ultimately in the 24-hour race?
In addition to a driver lineup with solid Nordschleife experience and a well-coordinated racing team, it’s a vehicle that’s both powerful and reliable. In addition to functional components like the engine and transmission, other fundamental automotive components are naturally required. That’s where we come into play with our products. In a 24-hour race, however, it doesn’t hurt to have a little luck on your side.
If you’ve been developing and testing at the Nürburgring for years: Why are specific Nordschleife tests even necessary in the run-up to the 24-hour race?
We are constantly developing new products while simultaneously modifying our proven operating fluids. Especially when it comes to performance-enhancing products,
we want to test them there before competition use, in the very conditions where they’ll later be put to the test.
What role does the Nordschleife play for your brand as a testing and development site for racing applications as well as for production vehicles and consumer products?
As the saying goes: “Everyone praises what’s tested at the Nürburgring!” And that is absolutely true. Everyone knows about the special challenges the Nordschleife poses for both people and equipment. Our racing products, which have been successfully used at the Nürburgring for many years, even bear the “Nürburgring tested” logo, which builds trust in the brand. An oil brand that performs on the Nordschleife is more than suitable for everyday use.
Where is the overlap between racing applications and products for end customers / normal road use?
Motorsports in general serve to help us continuously improve our products in terms of performance and sustainability, or to design new products based on demand. The input we receive through our collaboration with manufacturers, racing series, and teams is invaluable for further developing both our company and our lubricants. And our production-line products are in no way inferior to our racing lubricants; after all, everything comes from the same source, and to a large extent, the same employees are involved in the development.
Following up on Question 8: What communication priorities do you derive from the 24-hour race, and what significance does the Nordschleife factor hold for you in this context?
a. In on-site activation
The goal is to introduce the brand and relevant products to a large audience both on-site and via communication channels (TV, internet, etc.), and to do so at one of the world’s most renowned races and racetracks.
b. In national/international communication surrounding the race?
We position the 24-hour race as an absolute highlight, with record numbers of spectators, cars, teams, drivers, TV reach, and broadcast duration.
c. In long-term strategic communication?
RAVENOL brings together its most important partnerships at the 24-hour race: With the Nürburgring as a racetrack, with the 24-hour race itself, and with the vehicle manufacturers, teams, and drivers. In addition, there is our lounge, where we welcome employees and guests for whom the aforementioned combination of engagements represents an impressive experience. We field the Mercedes-AMG Team RAVENOL with the GT3. We pursue all of this as a long-term strategy, and it forms an important motorsports focus for us.
