Interview with Brigitte Reitbauer and Hans-Christian Maurer of OFFROAD-PARTNER

The owners of OFFROAD-PARTNER, Brigitte Reitbauer and Hans-Christian Maurer, known as “H.-C.”, have been active in the off-road industry for more than 30 years, going on off-road trips and driving rallies.

About five years ago the two of them had the idea of founding their own off-road company together. That was the beginning of OFFROAD-PARTNER. In the online shop you’ll find not only numerous products and in-house developments around off-road, rally and travel that have won the two owners over, but the pair also run an off-road workshop at their site in Esslingen near Stuttgart. We spoke with Brigitte Reitbauer and H.-C. Maurer of OFFROAD-PARTNER.

How did you get into off-road driving?

Brigitte: It all started in the 1990s with truck trials and trips to North Africa. So straight in with the really big off-road kit. It was an obvious step to pass on the experience I’d gathered as an instructor on driving courses with off-road trucks, to anyone interested and to beginners. That field was still in its infancy back then. Jobs in the logistics and organisation of desert rallies soon followed. Among others at the famous Paris-Dakar rally, which back then was still held in Africa. At some point the rally bug really bit, and since around the end of the 90s I’ve guided numerous entrants of various rallies safely to the finish as a co-driver, for instance at the Paris-Ulaanbaatar, Paris-Dakar-Cairo, Optic 2000, Paris-Samarkand-Moscow, Wrocław Rally, Fenix Rally, Baja Poland and many more.

H.-C.: My first contact with off-road driving came at the end of the 1980s with a DKW Munga. Sadly still without a licence at the time. Once I’d got a taste for it, I bought myself a Datsun pick-up with my first army pay. It cost me 5,000 Deutschmarks second-hand back then. But just as quickly as it was bought, it was history again, as it wasn’t up to the challenges off-road. So something rugged and properly off-road-capable was needed.

Since I was living in the Rhineland at the time, a decommissioned 110 Land Rover from the British Army of the Rhine was the obvious choice. A Range Rover Classic followed, with a 4.2 litre V8 of course, and a Disco 1 TDi. In 2000 I then bought myself a 110 Defender Hard Top with a Td5 engine, the very one I still drive as my travel vehicle today. Since 1996 I’ve driven as a driver and navigator at international rally events such as the Dakar, Baja Aragón, Baja Italia, Rallye El Chott, Tuareg Rallye, Hellas Rally, Wrocław Rally.

Has your career always had something to do with the off-road circus?

H.-C.: Partly. My degree in communications and electrical engineering ultimately paved the way into the off-road industry. Amadeus Matzker asked me back then whether I could take a look at the electrics of his rally car, something wasn’t right. Well, that turned into a little project and repairing the electrics took about four weeks. That was in 1999, and by the way the car is still running today, with a new owner now, but still at international desert rallies.

From then on, for many years, I went on extended Sahara tours with Amadeus every year. For that we often used cheap, second-hand Range Rover V8s, as on those adventurous tours it wasn’t always entirely clear whether the car would come back with us. Alongside that, each of us also owned a more elaborately built travel car from the same maker. That was my way into the motor trade and the marathon rally sport. As an electrical engineer I also worked for a long time in the events business, so lighting, sound and network technology at big events. A good combination of two interesting worlds.

You’ve also written about one of these tours here on Matsch&Piste. What did you do back then?

Yes, that was in 1997. Around the turn of the year we set off for Africa with three V8 beasts and a diesel Defender and travelled through Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Niger and Algeria. A trip that’s now hard to imagine in that form. Since adventure and driving fun were already more important to us than comfort back then, our vehicles were packed full of fuel, tools and spare parts instead of dragging along awnings, fairy lights and a shower tent. It was about pure function, not comfort, so even at that time we already had numerous in-house developments on board. You can read up on what we got up to on this tour on Matsch&Piste.

What does your career background look like, Brigitte?

I studied business administration and organised off-road events early on. In 1996 pro-log, professionelle Rallye Logistik GmbH, was founded. I was there from the very first hour. Many people will surely know pro-log from the Abenteuer Allrad fair. At the start, though, the focus was more on the professional support of desert rallies, so the typical organising tasks, transporting equipment, rally service, driver training. In 1999 the off-road and driving course in Bad Kissingen got going, where the fair takes place today.

So how did the idea for OFFROAD-PARTNER come about?

H.-C.: We got to know each other rally driving. The idea soon came up to bundle our experience and our skills from many years of off-road sport and off-road travel, along with our professional qualifications. That was the start of OFFROAD-PARTNER. The basic idea we had in 2020 was aimed more at the pure sale of accessories and add-on parts, which is why the name includes “KFZ-Teile und Service” (car parts and service).

So what exactly does OFFROAD-PARTNER do?

H.-C.: As I said, at first we wanted to offer and sell add-on parts and accessories. We narrowed our range down to parts for off-road travel and rally sport. And specifically the ones we’ve tried out ourselves and found to be good. Before long more and more customers came to us asking whether we could fit and install this kit. Of course we can, and in principle we’re brand-agnostic about it. The focus, though, still lies clearly on the Land Rover models, the classic Defender and its predecessors, the Discovery 1 and 2 and the classic Range Rover, because that’s where I really know my stuff.

What else is there at OFFROAD-PARTNER besides accessories and fitting?

H.-C.: I spent a few years overhauling and rebuilding gearboxes for classic racing Porsches in a restoration business. At OFFROAD-PARTNER we offer a professional overhaul of the LT230 transfer box and the differentials, as well as the fitting of diff locks, for all classic Land Rover Defenders, Discovery 1 and 2 and Range Rover Classic. We also prepare competition vehicles for their outings. We’ve just prepared a 90 for the Africa Eco Race and the vehicle is, as we’re doing this interview, already at the Africa Eco Race in Africa. So we’re a specialist firm. What we don’t do is everyday workshop jobs like services and oil changes. Others can do that faster and cheaper.

Why should a customer make a point of coming to OFFROAD-PARTNER?

We’re a specialist company with decades of experience. The parts we fit or repair we’ve tried out in action ourselves or broken ourselves at some point in tough desert use. So we know exactly what we’re doing, and our customers benefit from that. And anyone who doesn’t drive rallies but goes travelling in their off-roader gets something out of this experience too, because what holds up on the rallies works in everyday travel.

What projects are keeping you busy at the moment?

H.-C.: For about nine months now we’ve been developing our own shock absorbers for the classic Defender. The aim of this project is to offer shock absorbers that can be fitted plug-and-play into the vehicle without any further modifications, that still sit within a reasonable price range for everyday and travel vehicles, and that get the maximum out of the product in terms of the comfort and safety needed above all in everyday travel.

We have the dampers made by the well-known suspension manufacturer KW automotive GmbH, who handily happen to be right near our company base. In recent weeks we were testing in Tunisia and we’re thrilled with the dampers. There are still a few fine details to sort out and we’re on the verge of launching our dampers, which by the way are called “Big Cat”. There’ll be three versions, one for light everyday vehicles, one for travel vehicles and a third for very heavy travel vehicles. Our dampers use the full installation space, which means they’re made in the largest possible diameter without any further modifications. And they’re a bit longer than the originals, since pretty much no Defender runs at standard height. That way the vehicle then moves elegantly and effortlessly through difficult terrain, just like a big cat.

Brigitte: I’ve just got back from Saudi Arabia. I took part in the Dakar Classic there as a co-driver in the Mercedes-Benz 280 GE W460 of Team VÖLKEL.

What is the Dakar Classic?

At the Dakar Classic, historic vehicles start on a separate route. Unlike the Dakar Rally it’s not about top speeds, but about regularity and navigation. It’s an exciting challenge and the preparation took several weeks already, as alongside the navigating I looked after organisational tasks within the team. The navigation in particular demanded quite a lot of me as a co-driver. Because it’s a regularity test, I had even more to do than just calling out the roadbook. The very high level of this event and the technical challenges did the rest, and the rally days were seriously long.

The organisation of the rally by the organiser was perfect. But what impressed me even more is the country itself. In the short time left over besides the rally driving, we noticed how much the country has already opened up. Even as a woman I didn’t feel uncomfortable. No, on the contrary, the people are open, friendly and curious, glad of our visit. And then there’s the wide, magnificent landscape of course.

That sounds exciting. And what plans do you have for the coming years?

H.-C.: Basically we want to travel more again, but the rally sport shouldn’t fall by the wayside either. In 2026 we’re taking part in the Oasis Rally with OFFROAD-PARTNER. Here we’ll be active in various areas, organisation, logistics, co-driver.

Is there a dream off-road trip or rally you’d love to do?

H.-C.: I’d love to drive the Dakar Rally as a co-driver again one day. The heavy truck class in particular has really got to me. It’s simply fascinating how much power these race trucks have. On top of that the seating height as a navigator and co-driver is very pleasant, since the view is much better than in a car or SSV and you can take in the terrain better and faster that way.

Brigitte: I’d love to travel to Mauritania one day. The emphasis here is on travel, because I’ve already rushed through the fascinating country a few times with the Dakar Rally.