Nürburgring Future Appears Brighter with Races Nearly Confirmed

Things are looking better at the Nürburgring. The track has confirmed that the Rock am Ring music festival will take place next year, and the liquidators who are running the company until it is sold have said that the track will honor long-term contracts with Formula 1, the Nürburgring 24 Hours and Truck Grand Prix.  

While it is not related to motorsports, the three-day Rock am Ring festival is a major moneymaker for the track by attracting thousands of people and top tier international bands since 1985. It is the most popular open-air music festival in Germany. The festival's organizers and the liquidators have renewed the event's contract for two years. 

The liquidators have also announced that they will honor all long-term contracts between the track and race organizers. That clears the way for the Formula 1 race, Nürburgring 24 Hours, Truck Grand Prix, DTM Race, VLN and all of the others to carry forward.

The state government has also given the liquidators a €254 million loan to fund the track.

Rumors had also swirled that Bernie Ecclestone might buy the track outright, but he has flatly denied these claims. 

When asked during the Hungarian Grand Prix by the German Tagesspiegel about purchasing the track, Ecclestone said: "No. I don't think it is for sale in that way."

Ecclestone is however willing to help the track if it needs it and offered in the past to fund the Formula 1 grand prix there next year if he were given all of the profits. 

All of this news confirms what was already known. There is a business case for Nürburgring as a racetrack but not as an amusement park.

Source: Rhein Zeitung (1,2,3) Motorsport