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Contact: Mike Frison
updated: Dec 15th, 2013

Why "Save The Nurburgring"?

From 2007 - 2009 the German government built a huge Leisure Park at the Nürburgring. It is based on fake visitor numbers, oversized and badly executed. Most of the time it is an empty ghost town. Once promised as private investment, it is now based on a debt of 350+ million EUR public money.

Instead of pulling the plug they rented the park - including both race tracks - to exactly the same privateers (Kai Richter, Jörg Lindner), who were driving forces behind the Leisure Park's initial private setup.

Without Racing experience they are since experimenting with events completely unrelated to Motorsport (German Volksmusik for example, another one here) - all under the iconic "Nürburgring" brand name.

They now want Nordschleife to pay for the huge losses of "NüroDisney": record prices and bundled packages for tourist drives plus a 5 times increase for the automotive industry in rent for their prototype testing sessions.

What needs to be done?

• Seperate Nordschleife from ring°park.
• Let Nürburgring be Motorsport.
• Value the great heritage and tradition, rather than Roller Coasters.
• Replace Lindner/Richter by Motorsport experts. (The lease contract with NAG Richter / Lindner got terminated Nov 2012. However, not Motorsport experts are running the operations, but insolvency administration.)
• NEW: Protect the public Nordschleife from being sold into private ownership.

How can you help to Save The Ring?

• Please tell your friends and spread the word.
• Follow us on Facebook and helps to share news and Twitter messages with #savethering hashtag. Works in Instagram too! ;)
• Sign the Online Petition directed to the European Commission. In the meantime we have passed over 25.000 signatures to the local Government and the EU.
• Keep yourself informed and question the official Nürburgring homepage as well as the official Nürburgring Facebook site they were run by Lindner / Richter and are now used by the Insolvency Administration, to support their communication goals.
• When visiting the Ring, support local family businesses.
• Help us to become louder, contribute ideas and actions, let's save the 'Ring!

"Save The Ring" Picture Galleries (Click Image to Open new Window):

Ja zum Nürburgring Protest in Mainz 2013	STR Protest Formula 1 GP 2011	STR Fun Day in Cologne
@ 24 Hours Race 2011	In Action	Miscellanious

"Save The Ring" Articles:

May 2013

• Top Gear Magazine: Nürburgring For Sale.

March 2013

• AUTOWEEK: Nürburgring racetrack confirmed for sale - Protest parade starts on Tuesday.
• autoblog.com Canada: Nürburgring For Sale, Yours For Only $169 Million.
• AutoGuide.com: Nurburgring Sale Could End Badly for Auto Enthusiasts.
• Bridge to Gantry: The 'Ring is For Sale (and it's scaring me).

Sep 2012

• The Independent: Is this the final lap of the Nürburgring?

July 2012

• Interview Mike Frison / DW Worldlink - listen to the 4 mins MP3 here.

May 2012

• Globe and Mail (Canada): Nürburgring, Trouble at the Track (... while testing new Jaguars).
• Motor Mouth (Canada): Help save the Nürburgring.

2011 articles:

Jalopnik, Autoblog, Topspeed.com, Car Mag (South Africa), Axis of Oversteer, AUSmotive (Australia), Motor Authority, Crank and Piston (Dubai & Middle East), Motor Legend, World of Car Fans, The Art of Driving, Autosprint (Italy), Road and Track, Formula One Update, Autokrata (Poland), Total Car (Hungary), DRIVE.RU (Russia), Automobil Blog (Germany), Motorpasión (Spain), Motorpasión (Brasil), Ralf Becker / Chromjuwelen (Germany), RevdCars.net, LOADED (Sweden), Henry Soenarko, Scigacz (Poland), Bil Magasinet (Denmark), Motoblog (Italy), GTspirit.com, autos blog (France), Coches Más (Spain), Automobilismo (Italy), Rallyeregister (UK), JustGoFaster, Asphalt & Rubber Motorcycle News (USA), Acid Moto (Switzerland), Motor Evolución (Spain), Motocaina (Poland), Bsim Racing, Revista Motociclismo (Italy), SpeedRacing (Brasil), MotoFilm (Poland). Mbike, Delfi Forte (Estland), Driftworks, Autogespot (Netherlands), Le blog auto (France), Autokult (Poland), F1 WM (Poland), Top Car News (Italy), Crazy LooX race (Italy), nordschleife.de (Germany), i Wanna Go Fast, Vesco Racing (France), OmniCorse (Italy), La Repubblica (Italy), Ringers.it (Italy), ESPN (France), Rhein-Zeitung (Germany), SWR (Germany), Eifelzeitung (Germany), Tageblatt (Luxemburg), General Anzeiger (Germany), Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (Germany), Girlracer (UK), Pfälzischer Merkur (Germany), 8000vueltas.com (Spain), Fahr-Stil (Germany), Monkey Steak (UK), Pistonspy (Nürburg), Racine.com (Spain), auto motor i sport (Poland), Driving Fun (Netherlands), Autoblog (Spain), edmunds inside line (US), Ultime (Poland), rowomoto (Germany), General Anzeiger Bonn (Germany), Motogonki (Russia), Redline (UK), Provinz Porsche Mag (Canada), Moto 1 (Spain), Bjørn Borud (Norway).

During Formula 1 2011 / SAVE THE RING Demo on Sunday July 24th, 2011.

Current Status:

The state owned Nürburgring has filed for bankruptcy with around 400 Mio. Euro of debts vs estimated 100 Mio. Euro of assets, it is now looked after by a liquidator. The theme park (est. 330 Mio. Euro) is only 3 years old (opening July 2009), but apparently worth only a fraction of the investment. The NAG - Jörg Lindner's and Kai Richter's "Nürburgring Automotive GmbH" - has finally left, after tense blame and negotiations. They still keep running the "Eifeldorf" gastronomy and the two "Lindner" hotels. The Ring's homepage and Facebook site is now run by insolvency administration.

The are pushing hard to sell the Nürburgring, not only the new facilities, but the two race tracks (Nordschleife, GP Circuit) as well. Otto Flimm - supported by many motorsport organisations - insists, the racetracks need to stay in public ownership and protests heavily against the over-hasty sale.

Chronicle of Main Events:

1-March-2013: Motorsport veteran Otto Flimm protests and sees good chances to keep running it as sports venue for the public. Ja zum Nürburgring invited to a meeting, but nobody from Government turned up. The idea was born to organise a protest convoy on March 19 in Mainz, the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate.

28-Feb-2013: Insolvency administration insists they need to sell the race tracks.

16-January-2013: Premier Kurt Beck resigns.

27-November-2012: The lease contract with NAG Richter / Lindner got finally terminated.

2-November-2012: The Nürburgring is officially under insolvency administration.

16-October-2012: First day in court for the large Nürburgring fraud-lawsuit.

18-July-2012: The government of Rhineland-Palatinate declares the state owned Nürburgring GmbH bankrupt. It not only ownes the two tracks (GP circuit and Nordschleife), but also everything related to the Leisure Park (coaster, hotels, ringwerk, restaurants, boulevard, etc.). The press conference at 10:30 am attracted a lot of attention, the news even got aired at the main Tagesschau in the evening. On stage: Kurt Beck (premier), Carsten Kühl (minister of finance), Eveline Lemke (minister of econimics) and Roger Lewentz (home secretary).

29-June-2012: President of ADAC - Peter Meyer - writes an open letter to Kurt Beck stating the unsecure situation doesn't allow for contracts like 24 Hours Race or Truck Grand Prix.

21-March-2012: EU Commission opens in-depth investigation due to illegal state-grants (English press-release). Their investigations reveal a total of 524 Million Euro.

12-February-2012: The prosecution (fraud) against former Minister of Finance (Ingolf Deubel), the Ring's Ex-Manager (Walter Kafitz) and others has officially be handed in.

09-February-2012: County Audit Court estimates 240 Million Euro loss until the year 2030, if the minimum rent of 15 Million Euro per year is paid (which is isn't).

07-February-2012: The Rhineland-Palatinate Government terminates the contract of NAG (Richter/Lindner). However - they are not intending to leave.

18-December-2011: Michael Frison was able to re-open the N-Forum, after successfully finishing a 10-months trial. The costs of the legal battle sums up to over 10.000 Euro.

02-July-2011: ADAC Chairman Peter Meyer has alarming news on the 24 Hours race. He claims the "Nürburgring Automotive GmbH" (NAG), which belongs to Kai Richter and Jörg Lindner, "knows everything better".

28-Juni 2011: Prosecution launched new investigations against 5 people: Kai Richter, Walter Kafitz, Hans-Joachim Koch, Hans Lippelt and Michael Nuss-Kaltenborn (acc. to Rhein-Zeitung). Reason is suspicion of fraud at the ring°card company "CST". 16 investigators conducted house-searches too.

19-Juni-2011: The Save The Ring Petition reaches 20.832 signatures - one for every single metre Nordschleife.

11-Feb-2011: Michael Frison receives a court injunction by the new Nurburgring operator, which forces him to close his Nordschleife forum. Prior to that it was running and well-respected since 2001.

09-Dec 2010: Michael Frison initiates the SAVE THE RING protest with homepage, facebook and twitter account.

27-Aug 2010: Dorint Group sues Rhineland-Palatinate due to missing tender procedure.

20-Aug 2010: The Rheinland-Pfalz county hands another 40 Million Euro loan to Nürburgring GmbH.

22-Jun 2010: The prosecution of Rheinland-Pfalz starts investigations (fraud) against 9 persons including Kai Richter.

09-Jun 2010: Richter/Lindner introduce a new homepage for nuerburgring.de, the layout is the one we currently see.

01-May 2010: For the first time in the Ring´s long history privateers take over control.

27-Apr 2010: An alternative Nürburgring concept is presented in Mainz along with highlighting the concerns of the planned setup. I was part of the working group and our goal was to show alternative ways to run the Nürburgring.

25-Mar 2010: The contracts with Kai Richter and Jörg Lindner are signed to rent the Nürburgring for 20 years starting May 1st, 2010. At the same time the Gouvernment takes over all of the new facilities. Everything is now publically owned without any private investments.

27-Dec 2009: Rainer Mertel dies with heart attack at the age of 64 after a hearing at the Commission of Enquiry concerning Nürburgring.

17-Dec 2009: The previously announced price increase of tourist drives is being cancelled.

09-Dec 2009: The County Gouvernment announces that the Nürburgring will be rented out to Jörg Lindner.

02-Dec 2009: Walter Kafitz is being dismissed as head of Nürburgring GmbH.

03-Sep 2009: Second big crash of the Roller Coaster during testing.

03-Sep 2009: The State Parliament starts a Commission of Enquiry to investigate the Nürburgring projects financing. Up to today they have met 28 times.

15-Aug 2009: Now the ring°werk is opened as well, however with a 50% price cut due to the non-working Roller Coaster, which was aimed as the main attraction.

14-Jul 2009: The roller coaster has a big accident during testing.

09-Jul 2009: Kurt Beck - Premier of Rheinland-Pfalz - opens the now called ´Nürburgring 2009´ leisure park during the German Formula 1 GP.

07-Jul 2009: The two 100 Million Euro cheques proved to be false and Ingolf Deubel - Finance Minister Rheinland Pfalz - resigns.

03-Jul 2009: Normann Böhm and Michael Merten request 4 Million Euro provision for two 100 Million Euro cheques they have handed to Nürburgring GmbH. After buying the premises they would rent it back. Walter Kafitz and Ingolf Deubel sign the money transfer, however it got stopped only by a mistake within the process.

23-Jun 2009: The county Hessen informs about money laundering suspicion in relation to the projects financing.

09-Jun 2009: Wilhelm Hahne, a local German automotive Journalist aged 76, receives a house search by Rheinland-Pfalz prosecution. Computers and cameras have been taken away.

29-May 2008: The public bank RIM invests 3 Million Euro in Mediinvest. This got only known much later. In total RIM will invest 85,5 Million in Mediinvest.

10-Dec 2007: Demolition of the Grand Stand.

22-Nov 2007: The private Investor is being named. It is Kai Richter with his company Mediinvest. Now it is 135 Million public via Nürburgring GmbH and 80 Million private via Mediinvest.

19-Nov 2007: The ´Erlebnisregion´ gains approval. Costs are now 215 Million Euro (120 Million private, 85 Million public).

15-Sep 2007: A Flyer has been distributed in large numbers during the VLN 6-Hours race. It warns on the risks imposed on the Nordschleife.

22-Mai 2007: German ´SPIEGEL´ publishes a criticle article on the oversized project. Costs are now projected at 150 Million Euro with a 50/50 split private/public.

06-Mai 2004: Nürburgring GmbH and Gouvernment of Rheinland-Pfalz introduce a 200 Million Euro ´Erlebniswelt´ (Event World). Financing shall be 40 Million public and 160 Million private investment.

Contact: Mike Frison