The Nürburgring circuit could close its doors after declaring bankruptcy

For at least two years we have been explaining to you the situation of the Nürburgring circuit, threatened with bankruptcy. Unfortunately, all the forecasts have come true: the government of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate has failed to secure a bailout from the EC for the circuit (or rather, for the company that runs it), nor has it obtained approval to defer the payment of the 330 million euros that the ailing management of the track had borrowed.

So bankruptcy has now been declared and, just like any company that goes bankrupt, its activities will be overseen by the court on duty. This same court will have to decide the fate of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, the German Grand Prix, the DTM races and other events held at the circuit every summer. It will also have to decide what will happen to some permanent facilities and offices that several car manufacturers have built to be closer to the track, such as BMW or Mercedes-Benz.

As for testing, lap records and track days open to the public (at an increasingly less modest price), it is not known whether the activity will continue. At least the scheduled events and reserved dates seem likely to be honoured, but nobody knows what will happen to the track when the winter lull arrives, when activity is almost nil, since the money owed is simply too much. To give you an idea, the circuit owes 426 million euros, and the entire complex (which includes an amusement park, shopping centres, the track, and so on and so forth) is worth no more than 126 million according to the latest estimates. Another possibility mentioned is that the circuit could simply revert to being a public road, as it once was, maintained by the government.

In short, perhaps the Nürburgring will not close permanently or be demolished, but this was something that was on the cards: a threat that was looming, though no one knew when it would happen. The greatest drawback is that the circuit’s debt is so large that no one stops to think about the whole history this track has given to the automotive world and the world of motorsport. I suppose once again, money will come before anything else.