The Nürburgring is helping the victims in Germany
The famous German circuit opened its doors on July 15th to welcome the flood victims in Germany and Belgium. Many events have been postponed or cancelled because of the situation.
For several days, Germany and Belgium have been experiencing very heavy rains that have caused flooding. The human toll is very heavy as nearly 200 people have died, including 169 on the other side of the Rhine.
Quickly, the Nürburgring set up rescue devices and aid services to take care of the victims of this natural disaster. The circuit has become a collection and donation point, and for the past few days, the pit lane has been transformed into a makeshift camp and is accommodating nearly 1000 disaster victims.
The Nürburgring has become a place of unprecedented help and solidarity in this catastrophe caused by the floods, said Malu Drayer, the Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate (one of the 16 federal states that make up Germany).
Today, the buildings of the Eifel circuit are still heavily used and should be at least until August 8. This exceptional situation has led to the postponement and cancellation of many competitions. Among them, the double round of the World RX (Rallycross), which was scheduled for next week, has been rescheduled for late November, as well as the ADAC Racing weekend and the ADAC GT Masters which have been postponed to a later date.
Everyone has seen the images of the recent devastating floods in Germany, and although the Nürburgring itself was fortunately largely spared by this natural disaster, the same cannot be said for the surrounding areas,” explains Arne Dirks, director of World RX.
» It is important to remember that there are much more important issues at stake here than rallycross, and we must pay immense tribute to the organizers of the event, who worked day and night to support humanitarian efforts. They also worked very closely with us, as the promoter of the World Championship, and with the FIA to find a solution to reschedule the event, and we will be very eager to return later in the year to this legendary circuit.
The CEO of the circuit, Mirco Markfort, is impressed by the willingness to help and shows gratitude:
(e) Every day, hundreds of volunteers help alleviate the needs in the region. I express my deepest gratitude to them.
The severe weather affecting Central Europe also affected the Spa-Francorchamps circuit last week, but it was able to reopen after a day of closure to repair the damage.
