Think motorsports and French producer of high-performance motor oils and industrial lubricants for 160 years, Motul, is a name, which comes to mind in a flash. Throughout its century-long history, Motul enjoys worldwide repute and is unanimously recognised for the quality of its products, capacity to break new ground and also the company's involvement in the world of automotive competition.
If you're going to talk the talk, you've got to walk the walk.
In a display of its commitment to motorsports, Motul treated its distributors and media partners to the Motul Driving Experience 2016 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia for a taste of racing.
In order for us to experience the whole shebang, we were instructed to put on our racing gear - inclusive of racing shoes, a racing suit, gloves, balaclava and helmet - before heading to our machines: a Subaru EX21, four-stroke powered SQ Racing Kart and, get this, a Renault Sport K4MRS Formula 4 car. Yep, us plebeians in a Formula 4 car, around a Formula 1 circuit.
To warm us up for what's to come, we had a go in the go-karts first.
The karts, which had about 7bhp are capable of achieving up to 70km/h if the track is long enough to do so. In this miniature Sepang go-kart track, we teamed up in pairs and embarked on an endurance race. For those who haven't had the chance to take part in go-karting, you should. It's by far one of the most fun activities I've done in life. But, the go-karts was the easy part of my day. Once that was over, the Formula 4 cars awaited.
To keep us alive and safe, Renault Clio Cup cars driven by Ferrari Challenge drivers would be our leads. At the same time, following them around the track would mean learning the proper racing lines. And because of my height disadvantage, I found myself quite, um, lacking when I seated myself in the Formula 4 car. But, I had to make do.
The gearbox of a Formula 4 car has five forward cogs and a sequential shift mechanism. This means that shifting up and down gears is done without the use of the clutch. The clutch would only be employed by the driver during standing starts. The car also doesn't like to be driven gently. Doing so would only leave you jerking around like an idiot so you have to be quick in deciding which gear to use and stay firm on the gas.
Our last treat on the track was a taxi ride, driven by said Ferrari Challenge drivers. There were two types of cars we could ride in: the Renault Clio Cup car and a Ferrari 458 GT3. Obviously, everyone scrambled to pick the Ferrari but lots were drawn and sadly, I had to settle for the Clio.
As you'd expect, the Ferrari ran circles around the Renault but don't belittle the latter because at the hands of an experienced and professional driver, it's a lethal weapon on its own. Three Clios went on the circuit at one go and simulated a race of sorts. I was egging my driver to overtake and leave his friends in the dust but due to the brutal exhaust notes produced by the car, I don't think he heard anything I said.
The vital fluids of automobiles and motorsports.
Its most acclaimed, top-of-the-line product is 300V, a fully synthetic racing oil with all of Motul's technical expertise crammed into it.
300V is truly a racing oil. Mechanics at races like the Dakar Rally or LeMans endurance race empty a can of this stuff into the competition vehicles they service, and it's the exact same product that you can buy off-the-shelf at your local Motul dealer or service provider.
Racing oils like 300V provide the same things that street (or regular) oils do - improve power, protect your car's engine, and improve the reliability and longevity of engine components.
However, unlike regular engine oils, it's designed - as is typical of a racing lubricant - to have a more frequent replacement intervals. But besides racing cars, avid motorsport enthusiasts whose vehicles are in high states of tune or used regularly at track days or motorsport events should also use 300V. And that's not to say Motul's regular 8100 can't get the job done - those who attend occasional track days but do a majority of driving on normal roads will find that 8100 is more than fit for the task.
