While the Nürburgring is one of the most recognizable race tracks on the planet, the legendary German venue has constantly struggled to remain financially solvent. The Nürburgring is now dismantling Ring Racer, the problem-plagued roller coaster that was initially built to be the fastest in the world. The coaster was a part of the ambitious 2009 expansion to draw tourists to the track year-round, which led to the track’s bankruptcy just a few years later.
The Nürburgring is tearing down the first section before the launch, Motorsport-Total reports. Ring Racer was a $15 million Formula 1-themed coaster, so aptly the ride’s track would zig-zag as it rolled off like an F1 car warming its tires on a formation lap. The coaster would then stop at a launch point parallel to the start-finish straight. A pneumatic system was designed to blast the coaster to 100 miles per hour in under two seconds. However, this system would accelerate the ride’s demise. In September 2009, the system exploded during a test, injuring seven people and blowing out the windows of nearby buildings.
The Nürburgring is now focused on the automaker partnerships
The technical issues with the coaster were only complicated by the track’s financial problems. The Nürburgring filed for bankruptcy in 2012. The state government of Rhineland-Palatinate, the track’s then-owner, made the decision because a $16 million aid deal from the European Union was set to be denied, according to Der Spiegel. Ring Racer would eventually open in 2013, but only operated for four days before shutting down for good. The track was ultimately sold to Russian billionaire Viktor Kharitonin in 2014.
While the Nürburgring continues to be the site of lap records and tourist lap chaos, the track is no longer a lynchpin of the international motorsport calendar. Its 24-hour race is the only marquee annual event. The last F1 German Grand Prix was held there in 2013. The FIA World Endurance Championship’s visit to the track was in 2017. Track management is now focused on its partnership with automakers who test on the 12.9-mile Nordschleife. Ring Racer is being dismantled to reconfigure the Ring Werk, the former indoor theme park, into an exhibition space that can be rented to the track’s partners. Despite the Nürburgring’s history, it’s just far too expensive to bring championships to the venue.
