NEWS

17 July, Wednesday

ring°werk to be converted into a technology and development center

At the Nürburgring, the ring°werk is to become the centerpiece for companies in the automotive industry. The building, currently used as an interactive motorsport museum, will offer 11,300 m² of space for up to three selected automotive industry partners. These companies will have the opportunity to use the site as a technology and development center as well as a sales and marketing platform....
ring°werk to be converted into a technology and development center

17.07.2024

At the Nürburgring, the ring°werk is to become the centerpiece for companies in the automotive industry. The building, currently used as an interactive motorsport museum, will offer 11,300 m² of space for up to three selected automotive industry partners. These companies will have the opportunity to use the site as a technology and development center as well as a sales and marketing platform. Located right next to the start/finish straight, the tenants will have dedicated access to the Nürburgring Grand Prix track. In addition to intensive discussions already underway with potential partners in the automotive industry, interested companies still have the opportunity to apply for the project. Nürburgring. "This reorientation is an important step in the further development of the Nürburgring as a leading platform for the automotive industry," explains Christian Stephani, managing director of Nürburgring 1927 GmbH & Co. KG. "We are creating a unique opportunity for companies to implement their innovative strength directly at the Nürburgring, to demonstrate it to visitors and customers, and, thanks to direct access to the track, to be able to use an exclusive test facility at the same time." Presence options from glass workshop to VIP terraceThe future partners will be able to choose from a variety of combinable forms of use for their presence in the ring°werk, which will be completely redesigned and expanded for the new format: from glass and enclosed workshop areas to sales and exhibition spaces through to offices and meeting rooms. The companies will also have numerous opportunities to bring their brand to life for visitors, customers and partners. This starts with the prominent placement of their logo on the façade of the ring°werk, located directly on the busy main road B258, and extends to the display of vehicles, technologies and exhibits. Each rental section also offers access to a private VIP terrace with a view of the race track. Various options for staging events, as well as hotel rooms and other services are also offered from a single source. Exclusive access from the rental sections to the Grand Prix track is also included in the offer. In addition to the associated logistical advantages for the companies based in the ring°werk, they will also be given preferential treatment as "strategic partners" when it comes to the allocation of track dates on the Grand Prix track. According to the plans of Nürburgring 1927 GmbH & Co. KG, the race track operator will carry out the structural redevelopment of the ring°werk once the rental sections have been allocated, including the renovation of the façade and the installation of new interior walls. The future tenants can then design their space according to their individual preferences, or commission Nürburgring 1927 GmbH & Co. KG for this purpose.  ring°kino remains open to visitors and B2B events – new interactive museum plannedWhile the entire ring°werk building complex will be converted for its new form of use, the multifunctional ring°kino will remain in its current form. In addition to regular cinema operations with Hollywood movies for visitors of all ages, the atmospheric venue will continue to be available for B2B events. Here, too, the new tenants will have the right of first refusal to hold conferences, customer events or presentations at the location in the immediate vicinity of their premises. In addition to the redevelopment and new use of the ring°werk, the future of the museum previously housed in the building is also being considered. The history and stories of the legendary race track are to remain tangible for visitors. The operating company has therefore decided to establish a new interactive museum at the Nürburgring that is to be integrated into an existing space. In the current planning phase, several options are being examined and developed. This is what the new ring°werk could look like as a technology and development center at the Nürburgring. While various ideas and concepts for the building have already been sketched out, the future tenants will have direct influence on the design. © Nürburgring

A milestone for digital track safety on the Nordschleife

05.07.2024

A quantum leap for safety at the Nürburgring: the comprehensive track monitoring system and the new digital early warning system have been active since this week. The interaction of 100 cameras and 46 large LED panels now ensures a completely new level of safety on the world's most demanding race track. This represents a decisive step in the digitalization process. The artificial intelligence is now being further developed in parallel. Whether technical defect, accident or slippery track: on the 21 kilometers of the Green Hell, from now on only a few seconds will pass between an incident and the warning and activation of a rescue chain. Valuable time that can save lives. The track safety staff can keep an eye on what is happening at all times via the cameras and can now also access the newly installed LED panels at the touch of a button. The highly visible 100 x 80 centimeter panels will initially be used for tourist drives and commercial applications such as track days or industrial test drives. They warn following drivers almost in real time - hundreds of meters before they even reach the danger zone. The aim is to prevent secondary accidents in particular, such as hitting a stationary vehicle. "A quantum leap that cannot be overestimated""From today, our track safety team has a direct view of each of the 73 corners on the Nordschleife and can intervene digitally in the action. This is a quantum leap that cannot be overestimated. Previously, danger spots were reported via radio or emergency telephone and the track safety team could only issue a warning on site. That is now a thing of the past," says Ingo Böder, Managing Director of Nürburgring 1927 GmbH & Co. KG, Ingo Böder, describes the current state of development of digitalization. Safety control center at the Nordschleife has an overviewThe early detection of hazards, the rescue and care of people and the warning of following traffic - all this is controlled centrally from a new safety control center at the Nordschleife access road. Up to three employees monitor the screens here - already supported by artificial intelligence. With the start of the digitalization of the Nordschleife three years ago, Nürburgring 1927 GmbH & Co. KG set itself ambitious goals for safety on the legendary race track. After initial tests on one section of the track, the decision was quickly made to implement the system across the entire circuit. Since then, the Nürburgring operating company has spent a total of 11 million euros on implementing the safety measures for all active drivers on the track. Investments were made in camera technology, LED panels, the expansion of a digital infrastructure with fiber optic cables and power supply as well as the development of artificial intelligence with IT partner Fujitsu.  While the hardware is now installed and already working, work on the artificial intelligence will continue until 2025. In future, this should automatically activate the first warning signals in fractions of a second, making the system even faster and more effective. One maxim will always remain the same: No matter how efficient artificial intelligence is, the route safety staff will always retain decision-making authority and absolute control. "This digitalization is one of the most comprehensive construction measures in the almost 100-year history of our race track," says Nürburgring Managing Director Ingo Böder. "It is a good feeling to lead it into the future with this measure."

TotalEnergies fast-charging stations at the Nürburgring

27.03.2024

The Nürburgring and TotalEnergies have entered into a pioneering partnership for the expansion of electromobility. As an official e-mobility partner, TotalEnergies Charging Solutions Deutschland GmbH is building and operating an extensive charging infrastructure at the Nürburgring, including access roads, paths and parking spaces for electric vehicles. For the start of the season, the existing charging infrastructure has now been supplemented by two fast charging points on the B 258, directly opposite the centrally located info°center of the Nürburgring. At the four high-power charging points (HPC) with a charging capacity of 150 to 300 kW, drivers can charge their electric cars for up to a further 300 kilometers within 30 minutes. In a further expansion stage, a roof will also be installed to ensure convenient use even in the rain.The new fast-charging stations complement the existing AC charging infrastructure at the Nürburgring, which was also installed by TotalEnergies. A total of 18 charging points are already available at various locations such as the Nürburgring parking garage below the ring°boulevard, in the parking garage of the Nürburgring Congress Hotel as well as at the Nürburgring Motorsport Hotel and in the Nürburgring Ferienpark.Jan Petersen, Managing Director of TotalEnergies Charging Solutions Germany: "The cooperation with the Nürburgring underlines our strategic commitment to the expansion of electromobility in Germany. As part of an international multi-energy company, we are a strong partner and, in addition to investment and construction, we also ensure the ongoing operation, maintenance and servicing of the charging infrastructure at the site." With this cooperation, TotalEnergies is consolidating its role as an important player in the field of electromobility. In September 2023, the company was awarded the contract for the construction and operation of 1,100 fast-charging points nationwide as part of the tender for the German network. In February 2024, it was awarded the contract for a further 166 fast-charging points along freeways. The company currently operates a network of over 5,000 charging points in Germany. Christian Stephani, Managing Director of Nürburgring 1927 GmbH & Co. KG: "The Nürburgring stands for performance and mobility and their development like hardly any other location in Germany. That is why it is important to us that we can offer our visitors, overnight guests and those passing through a strong charging offer. In addition to the AC charging points, the fast-charging stations that have now been put into operation are the next step in making our charging infrastructure even more attractive. The collaboration with TotalEnergies has been an absolute partnership."