Julien Rehberg admits to have underestimated the challenge and skills needed to master oval racing, as revealed in his post-Venray interview with Andre Wiegold on Leadlap.
The 2024 NASCAR Oval GP at Raceway Venray provided the opportunity to several drivers to race at an oval circuit for the first time. There’s a different skill set needed to be good at oval racing, something that young Bremotion driver Julien Rehberg learned the hard way.
Oval racing looks simple on paper: There’s four turns and you only need to turn left. However, anyone who has tried it – either on the simulators or in reality – knows that there’s a lot more to oval racing than just simply turning left.
One crucial aspect is the requirement for drivers to stay focused at all times because one small mistake often leads to race-ending consequences.
Rehberg admits to having been caught off-guard by this, as revealed in his interview with Andre Wiegold on Leadlap that was published on 4 July 2024.
“I never thought that oval racing would be so demanding!” admits Rehberg. “When I got there, I thought I would just drive in circles, memorize two or three reference points and that would be it. But then I found out that it’s much more difficult than circuit racing, at least on a small oval.”
Another aspect that’s also important is the driver’s physicality. Not only were they had to handle the heat inside the cockpit, they’re also subjected to constant G-force pressures in the turns.
Even though EuroNASCAR introduced roof scoops for the 2024 season to help with in-car cooling, Rehberg still found the experience to be brutal to his body.
“Physically, it was really brutal,” adds the 18-year old driver. “The heat built up in the car and in the end the pedals were so hot that braking and accelerating was torture.”
“I still have sore muscles in my neck. That’s really tough. I never thought it would be so exhausting. I’ve never had such sore muscles after a race.”
Despite this, Rehberg’s maiden oval performance was solid. While he languished in 16th place during Qualifying, the 18- year old kept his No. 77 Auto Rehberg Camaro clean during the 70-lap race to finish in eleventh.
Rehberg did find himself finishing a lap down from Rookie Trophy winner Victor Neumann, but he still came out of Venray with plenty of excitement and is looking forward to the 2025 edition of NASCAR Oval GP.
“It was definitely a mega-awesome weekend and really fun,” said Rehberg on the Venray weekend. “I don’t know what it’s like on a big oval, but I’m already looking forward to driving on the oval again next year.”
“But at the moment, one oval race a year is enough for me, because I enjoy the [road course] circuits a bit more.”
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