The Nurburgring is set to undergo a major digital upgrade. A total of 11 million euros ($12 million) was invested by the Nurburgring operating company to improve vehicle safety and bring the track into the future.
The comprehensive upgrade will benefit all track users, including private drivers during scenic drive sessions, test drivers in the Industrial Pool, and racers during various events. The new infrastructure, which will be operational in 2025, will use camera technology and artificial intelligence to monitor the entire 13 miles (21 kilometers) of the race track.
Construction for the upgrade will start this winter, and it is one of the most comprehensive construction projects in the Nurburgring’s nearly 100 year history.
Over the next two years, completely new infrastructure will be built around the race track, including hurricane-resistant mast foundations to carry the dedicated HD cameras, earthworks to lay the fiber-optic cables and power cables, and off-grid systems for power supply. LED panels for digital warning signals will also be installed.
AI-based systems will be able to detect hazards, accidents and other unscheduled events on the track, and support operations control teams in taking immediate action. In the future, it will automatically warn traffic of dangerous situations through the LED panel.
In addition to the standard procedure of radio messages by officers, all images and information will be sent directly to the operations control center via fiber-optic cables, enabling staff to decide on further actions in seconds. AI will continue to be refined and adapted to the track during live operation.
At this point, most of us should be aware that the Nurburgring is one of the most challenging and dangerous race tracks in the world. So much so that there are a number of YouTube channels dedicated to catching the crashes of tracks, even putting up an annual compilation of the best. The increase is expected to reduce the number of accidents on the track.
