Alexander Kühn of Goodyear discusses the challenges of the Nordschleife and explains how insights from the 24-hour race are incorporated into product development.

What significance does the 24h race have for your brand?
For Goodyear, a 24 hour race represents the ultimate proof point of performance continuity. It’s not about delivering peak performance for a few laps, but about maintaining consistency, reliability and confidence over an entire day and night of racing. This philosophy is deeply rooted in our DNA and connects directly with iconic events like the 24 Hours of Nurburgring or the 24h of Le Mans, where Goodyear has demonstrated, time and again, its ability to support teams with tires that perform predictably and consistently under extreme and evolving conditions. A 24 hour race is where trust is built and earned.

What significance does the Nordschleife have for your brand?
The Nürburgring Nordschleife holds a unique place in Goodyear’s racing heritage. As one of the most demanding circuits in the world - combining high speeds, technical sections, elevation changes and constantly evolving grip levels - Goodyear has achieved multiple victories there and remains a trusted partner for teams across categories. Most recently, Goodyear secured wins in both the GT3 Pro AM and AM classes in the final Qualifier race ahead of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. 

What does success at the Nordschleife represent for Goodyear today, both in terms of heritage and ongoing relevance in motorsport?
For Goodyear, Nordschleife is a true living laboratory. It pushes tire technology to its limits and perfectly reflects what we stand for: engineering excellence, durability, and performance consistency under pressure. Beyond the track itself, the Nürburgring also represents one of Goodyear’s longest standing partnerships in motorsport. As an official partner of the Nürburgring, it has become one of the most powerful places in the world to experience the excitement of motorsport and to engage with the millions of fans who gather around this iconic venue every year.

There are 24h races all over the world. For many, the Nordschleife at the Nürburgring makes the difference. How do you see this and why?
We fully understand why the Nordschleife stands apart. While many circuits test speed or endurance, the Nordschleife tests everything at once - car, driver and tire.
Its length, complexity and unpredictability make it a true benchmark for endurance racing. Success here requires not just outright performance, but a tire that delivers confidence, stability and consistency over long stints, changing weather and varying track conditions. That combination is what makes the Nürburgring 24h so special - and so meaningful for Goodyear.

What attributes and emotions do you generally associate with the Nordschleife, and what makes this track even more special during the 24h race?
The Nordschleife is synonymous with respect, intensity and authenticity. It commands focus and rewards precision. During the 24 hour race, those emotions are amplified. Racing through day and night, in changing temperatures and conditions, creates a unique experience. For Goodyear, it embodies the essence of endurance racing: resilience, teamwork and unwavering performance over time.

What does it take in concrete terms to be successful on the Nordschleife and ultimately also in the 24h race?
Success at the Nordschleife, and over a full 24 hours, comes down to performance continuity. Teams need tires they can rely on lap after lap, stint after stint, without surprises. From our side, this means delivering products that combine grip, consistency and predictability, allowing drivers and teams to stay focused on execution rather than adaptation. Whether it’s the Nürburgring or the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the principle remains the same: endurance racing rewards consistency - and that is where Goodyear excels.

If you have been developing and testing at the Nürburgring for years: why are specific Nordschleife tests still required in the run-up to the 24h race?
Even after years of development and testing at the Nürburgring, specific Nordschleife testing remains essential ahead of the 24‑hour race because the circuit is never static. Conditions change constantly - from weather and temperature to track evolution and traffic density - and the demands of a 24‑hour event are fundamentally different from any other race. Pre‑event testing allows us to validate tire behavior under the exact conditions teams are likely to face during the race weekend, refine compound selection, and ensure absolute consistency and predictability over long stints. At the Nordschleife, success is not about peak performance alone - it is about consistency, confidence and repeatability over time. These final tests ensure our tires are fully aligned with the unique challenges of the race and give teams the trust they need to focus on execution when it matters most.

What role does the Nordschleife play for your brand as a test and development location for racing as well as for production vehicles and end-customer products? 
Running on the Nürburgring Nordschleife is a performance and validation requirement for several OE manufacturers, proving relevance not only in racing, but also in consumer product development.

Where is the overlap between racing and the product for the end customer / normal road use? 
The overlap between racing and everyday road use lies in the fundamentals. In racing, we push tires to their absolute limits in terms of load, temperature, durability and predictability - often over long stints and under constantly changing conditions. Those same qualities are exactly what customers value on the road: confidence, consistency and longevity - not just peak grip. Circuits like the Nürburgring Nordschleife act as a bridge between these two worlds. It is a proving ground not only for racing tires, but also a validation benchmark for production and OE tires. The data, materials knowledge and construction solutions developed in racing are directly transferred into our road products, from compound behavior to structural integrity and wet grip performance.
In short, racing allows us to accelerate learning at the extreme, and that learning translates into better, more reliable and more advanced tires for everyday drivers. That race to road transfer is at the core of Goodyear’s approach and a key reason why our products perform not just on the track, but where it matters most - on public roads.

Following on from question 8: which communication priorities do you derive from the 24h race and what significance does the Nordschleife factor have for you in this context?
The Nürburgring is an exceptional, multi‑layered communication platform for Goodyear. On one level, performance sits at the core: delivering strong results and explaining how we work is a key international communication priority, because performing well at the Nürburgring is a powerful statement in itself. This is precisely why we are a long‑term partner of the circuit. The Nordschleife represents the ultimate benchmark, and continuing to improve there is one of our objectives - there is no better place to challenge ourselves, push performance limits and demonstrate our engineering credibility to a global audience driven by passion and authenticity.