Nürburgring GmbH, the current owners of the Nürburgring circuit has gone into administration after Kurt Beck, head of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate confirmed that the European competition authorities have refused to approve a €13 million rescue package.
Without the bailout the company will go bankrupt by the end of the month as they are € 413million in debt and have assets only for €126 million (everyone remembers theSave the Ring campaign in 2010) (estimates by Ernst & Young).
The circuit will probably return under state control – who just happens to be the principal creditor – until they find another investor.
The bankruptcy shouldn’t effect any of the 2012 events on the calendar as Nürburgring Automotive GmbH who runs the daily operations hasn’t been touched by the same tar brush and the reason behind the bankruptcy is to be put directly on the shoulders of Kai Richter and Jörg Linder, the private investors (with backing from the local politicos) who built the pharaonic amusement park (with a rollercoaster deemed to dangerous to use) unfondly dubbed as “NüroDisney” that includes also shopping mall all constructed with over 500 million euros of state funding, thus the refusal of the EU to give them more money.
It this year’s World Superbike German round seems safe, the same can’t be said for the penultimate round of the season that is scheduled to be held at Portimao.
The Portuguese circuit continues to be financial trouble and there are rumors that they will be unable to host the September round which could force Infront to turn towards a Spanish venue like Jerez.