Nurburgring Facing Closure

[99 GTT]

Just thought i would throw this up for those that have not seen it. Seems that the theme park they built in 2007 at the Ring never got full private funding and now the EU wants it money back..

With a bit of luck and due to it's history and use by car manufactures i am sure someone will bale it out..

I have attached the article from CarSales.com below and in PDF form.

Nürburgring facing closure

One of the world's oldest and most famous race tracks, the Nürburgring, is facing closure unless hundreds of millions of Euros of debt are repaid Is the world-famous Nürburgring facing closure? According to European reports, the 21km Nürburgring race track, which is regularly used by car and motorcycle companies to test prototypes of their upcoming models and many weekend warrirors, is facing closure due to outstanding debts.

The legendary Nürburgring originally opened in 1927, and was nicknamed the 'Green Hell' by famous F1 driver Jackie Stewart, but the decision to upgrade the motorsports complex in 2007, with a rollercoaster theme park, hotel and other facilities, seems to have backfired.

The capital used to fund the project was supposed to be from private investment but the Government ended up fitting the bill, and with the GFC taking its toll on European coffers, the EU wants its almost €400 ($523) million back. The theme park is alleged to be unpopular.

There is a possibility that the motorsports complex could be shut down or its facilities pared back in the future if an alternative is not found, and for the time being maintenance is expected to drop and while entry prices rise.

Arguably Germany's -- if not the world's -- most famous racetrack, more and more car manufacturers used their 'Ring lap times to spruik their high performance products over the past half decade, a practice that may soon come to an end.

On certain days the public can pay a nominal fee to do one lap around the Nürburgring on their motorcycle or in their car, but if the issue isn't resolved in the mid-term future, the only way the public will be able to experience the Green Hell will be on the Playstation and Xbox.

There is currently a groundswell of public support to keep the Nürburgring open to the public, via Gopetition.com and several Facebook pages have also emerged.

Nurburgring Facing Closure.pdf (From Car Sales)

Edited January 9, 2011 by 99 GTT

[Deano 1]

thats hecktic, i was we had a nurburgring it must be so awesome to just pull up at the gate, pay your fee and just burn around it, any time you like... i wish we had a nurburgring

[GTR-N1]

Financiers going anticlockwise

[urtwhistle]

All I can say is that if it is closed, That I'm soooo happy I got to go around it last year in an Aston martin DB9. It would be a true shame if it was closed, it is a spectacular facility. I think if any thing it would just be sold off to another private company, I wonder if they would then split up the sale of the Nordschleife from the GP track . Where would they move the German F1 round to?

[rockabilly]

i have to agree, having driven it in my 33gtr last year nothing can compare, forget playstation,the track is nothing like the playstaion in real life,yes the layout is but the gradients dont come through on the playstion, dropping into the corner they call the crowd pleaser at 100mph on a tight 90deg bend going into a 1 in 3 descent cant be replicated..

Edited January 9, 2011 by rockabilly

[gtr fan]

Just add the cost to the EU bail out package that Germany is funding!

[PM-R33]

No!!! I'm meant to be going there at the end of the year!!

[Blitz]

thats hecktic, i was we had a nurburgring it must be so awesome to just pull up at the gate, pay your fee and just burn around it, any time you like... i wish we had a nurburgring

It is pretty hectic indeed, I was racing around it only a few months ago

[Blitz]

i have to agree, having driven it in my 33gtr last year nothing can compare, forget playstation,the track is nothing like the playstaion in real life,yes the layout is but the gradients dont come through on the playstion, dropping into the corner they call the crowd pleaser at 100mph on a tight 90deg bend going into a 1 in 3 descent cant be replicated..

Passing a full size coach bus on the inside of the first banked carousel is pretty entertaining also

[chuckie]

From what i was told few years back that there owned by 2 different companies,

the NEW track has big hotels already on it,start line Etc,

they were Built when track was opened,

as i was there in 87&88,

most evens that i seen over years are well supported by the German public bikes & cars.

I Guess the upkeep of an old track that size is the major HF,

WOULD BE VERY SAD DAY TO LOSE SUCH ICONIC TRACK

[urtwhistle]

i have to agree, having driven it in my 33gtr last year nothing can compare, forget playstation,the track is nothing like the playstaion in real life,yes the layout is but the gradients dont come through on the playstion, dropping into the corner they call the crowd pleaser at 100mph on a tight 90deg bend going into a 1 in 3 descent cant be replicated..

Hey Rockabilly, I was that young Aussy guy that came up to you and asked if you spoke english after seeing the RB30 badge on your R33. I was with you watching the enduro race and was acting like a kid in a candy store..

What times did you end up getting??? the aston did a slow 11min lap cos the track was soo busy and people kept hitting the barriers.

regards

Chris

[jaxt]

Hey Rockabilly, I was that young Aussy guy that came up to you and asked if you spoke english after seeing the RB30 badge on your R33. I was with you watching the enduro race and was acting like a kid in a candy store..

What times did you end up getting??? the aston did a slow 11min lap cos the track was soo busy and people kept hitting the barriers.

regards

Chris

small world huh

[GTR-N1]

No!!! I'm meant to be going there at the end of the year!!

So is God_speed.

Wonder if both of you can squeeze your circuit in there at the 11th hour?

[hamiltonau]

rockabilly, is your gtr based in germany or did u ship it over there from aus? talk about an epic roadtrip..

can barely scrape together the budget for a fly/hire/coupla laps ring trip, might have to put all that together sooner than i thought if this is really happening imminently.

yeah and vry curious re the GTR, super jealous whether u have it there or took it over, trying to imagine what it would be like to bring my gtst to the freeways of germany etc...sigh.

[God_speed]

This would be a total tragedy. I've read elsewhere that this situation was only inevitable after varying degrees of corruption.

i have to agree, having driven it in my 33gtr last year nothing can compare, forget playstation,the track is nothing like the playstaion in real life,yes the layout is but the gradients dont come through on the playstion, dropping into the corner they call the crowd pleaser at 100mph on a tight 90deg bend going into a 1 in 3 descent cant be replicated..

Your R33 looks awesome!

It is pretty hectic indeed, I was racing around it only a few months ago

Lucky b*stard!

So is God_speed.

Wonder if both of you can squeeze your circuit in there at the 11th hour?

Hopefully will still go; not looking likely at this stage and not holding my breath disregarding the closure / continued running of the Nurburgring.

Would love to go in the 'Ring Taxi with Sabine Schmidt

[chuckie]

patrick hamilton ( rockabilly, is your gtr based in germany or did u ship it over there from aus?)

PATRICK he lives in UK mate ,

[hamiltonau]

ahh ok.

well except for the weather and the presence of beer with names like 'old speckled hen', 'adnams' and 'best' he is still a lucky bastard.

hope he and others get one more blast before it all ends, i was lucky enough to have a coupla of goe's at Oran park but sadly the 'ring' looks a little out of reach..

[[[d a n n y]]]

wonder if polyphony or granturismo will buy it lol

[DELLER]

Such a sad thing to happen to a good track....

[GTR-N1]

Well, this is one way of closing it!

http://www.jalopnik.com/giant-penis-graffiti-shuts-down-nurburgring-471057357