MOTORSPORT SINCE 1995

• Motorsports exclusively with Volvo since 1995

• Long distance racing as proof of proficiency

• Basic vehicle from Volvo and original parts from HEICO SPORTIV in endurance test

• Direct bridge from the racing track to the road

• “Developed by HEICO SPORTIV, built by HEICO SPORTIV, driven by HEICO SPORTIV”

• “Green Racing” with alternative fuels

It all started back in 1995 when Volvo Deutschland charged the Wiesbaden-based HEICO Motor-sport team with designing two Volvo 850 T5s for the illustrious Nürburgring 24h Race. A limousine and a station wagon! The incredible sound emanating from the 5-cylinder engines soon made the Swedish racer the spectators’ darling and marked the starting point for establishing HEICO SPORTIV, today’s leading independent tuner for the Volvo brand.

Then, as today, long distance racing forms the cornerstone of all HEICO SPORTIV’s motorsport activities, and serves as the breeding ground for its own product development. It’s no twist of fate that the motorsports program has ever since centered on the Nürburgring Nordschleife – given the Grüne Hölle’s reputation as the world’s most challenging race circuit, and its unique typography that makes the 20.8 km stretch the preferred test and development ground for the entire auto industry. A product that survives a Nordschleife hammering can make it anywhere – worldwide! So extreme are the conditions here that the auto industry uses a 1:20 stress factor – in other words: each mile driven on the Nordschleife corresponds to ca. 20 miles’ effective stress in regular road traffic.

Around 2,050 miles – or the distance from Göteborg to Palermo – are demolished each year at the 24h Race. This effectively simulates over 41,000 miles at breakneck racing speeds along country roads. The result of this chase: class victory and, with that, the impressive confirmation of HEICO SPORTIV’s incredible product quality and team performance.

Motorsports exclusively with Volvo since 1995

“Nürburging-raised - by everyone praised”: the ultimate incentive for HEICO SPORTIV’s uninterrupted attendance of Nürburgring race meetings since 1995 and its additional countless test miles with road vehicles around the Nordschleife. True to this long-valid motto, the first three products made it from the racing track to the road: performance enhancement, differential lock and a six-piston brake system were homologated and marketed for the road variant of the Volvo 850 T5.

After the 1997 season, the “Adventure 850” was mothballed. It was followed by the Volvo S40 I as a racer, and an individualization program specifically developed for the road version of the S/V40 I. For the first time, the company also created its own designs and developed its first exterior parts and the VOLUTION® sport wheel. With this product offensive and sizeable investments in marketing and infrastructure, HEICO SPORTIV gradually conquered other markets and advanced to become the world’s #1 supplier of sporty Volvo accessories.

At the same time, it continued to develop successfully in the motorsports space. Up to the end of 2001, Volvo Car Germany (formerly Volvo Deutschland) charged HEICO SPORTIV with implementing a range of variants of the Volvo S40 for the VLN and 24h Races under the title “Official Volvo Motor-sports Partner”. At the end of 2001, Ford PAG (Premier Automotive Group), which owned i.a. Volvo and Jaguar, decided to terminate all local activities to the benefit of Jaguar’s Formula 1 commitment. Since then, all of HEICO SPORTIV’s motorsport activities are conducted by it autonomously.

Realignment of the motorsport activities

The company’s motorsport activities were realigned true to the motto “Developed by HEICO SPORTIV, built by HEICO SPORTIV, driven by HEICO SPORTIV”. With Patrick Brenndörfer (responsible for PR) and Martin Müller (product development), the team already had experienced racing drivers who instantly took over at the steering wheel. Workshop foreman, Felice Sgura, became technical manager, while the mechanics essentially came from our own ranks. This measure enables empirical findings from the racing track to fed directly back into our day-to-day business – and, with that, into our products and services. A strategy that convinces to this very today, and underpins confidence and credibility amongst our demanding clientele.

HEICO SPORTIV heralds a new era with Green Racing

Since 2007, HEICO SPORTIV has been turning up at the starters’ line with various models (S40 II “ODIN”, C30 T5, V40 D5) under the motto “Green Racing”, and only uses alternative fuels. With this, it has been providing evidence that ecological awareness and motorsports are not mutually exclu-sive. From 2007 to 2010, HEICO SPORTIV used bioethanol “E85”. The class victories at the 2010 24h Race and further successes at various other four and six hour meetings demonstrate the excellent potential inherent in the “Green Racing” vision. In 2012, the switch was made to biodiesel and diesel R33. With a diesel engine that was provided by Volvo and further developed in-house, HEICO SPORTIV kicked off the phase “Green Racing 2.0”. Complex technologies, packed starting grids and stiff competition in the diesel class challenge and promote the team’s competence, and necessitate more and more hard work that’s supported by prominent technology partners.

“The use of alternative fuels, our permanent striving for improvements and the involvement of our partners and all of HEICO SPORTIV’s staff make our almost-20-year commitment to motorsports an indispensable part of our enterprise,” says HEICO SPORTIV Managing Director, Holger Hedtke. “Also, in contrast to other Volvo teams, HEICO SPORTIV doesn’t use tubular frame chassis and other makers’ engines, but always falls back on standard Volvo vehicles and original parts from the Volvo and HEICO SPORTIV programs. In the most breathtaking manner possible, we squeeze the best possible performance out of a true Volvo in competition and, in doing so, demonstrate Volvo’s core iconic brand qualities, such as durability and sustainability.”

Track record since 2006:

11x 1st place

5x 2nd place