Places for races: inside the circuits and services at the beating heart of motorsport

Introduction
CIRCUITS
SERVICES
About
ABOVE: The Nurburgring is nestled in the
forests of western Germany
WHAT WE NEED IS AI
RACE CONTROL. WE ARE
TRYING TO MAKE THIS A
REALITY IN THE FUTURE.”
“They were bringing things here and
we still were collecting things until
Sunday evening,” says Gerhard. “And
we filled three different halls here with
tonnes and tonnes of supplies. It’s like a
professional clothing factory right now,
everything is packed together, everything
is sorted.
“We have several boxes, for example,
with t-shirts size M, socks from 39 to 40
for women, children, whoever. So, this is
really crazy. And what we have now is
a centre which is open to the public, for
everyone who was hit by the flood. They
can come here, they can collect clothes,
they can collect hygiene products, they
can collect shoes, buggies for children,
everything that we have.”
In another attempt to help people in
need, the Nürburgring and local businesses
also provided food and beverages to those
who came to the relief centre. The venue
even cancelled scheduled events, such as
the Truck Grand Prix, as relief efforts and
support continued.
In a move that few people could
have anticipated, one of Europe’s most
significant circuits was able to adapt
and transform into a centre to support
the local community, an action that
will not be quickly forgotten. After the
devastating flooding, the Nürburgring
is now focused on how it can better
position itself for the future.
“One central topic we want to focus on
is the digitalisation of the racing circuit,”
explains Gerhard. “Normally the marshals
are connected via radio signal. This is
something which works because it is a
process we’ve used for nearly 100 years.
But when you have this race control, you
have to decide anything on the basis
of a radio message. This is sometimes
really difficult because is there one yellow
flag, is there two yellow flags, do you
need a red flag to interrupt the race or
something?”
Moving forward, Gerhard and his team
plan to investigate the possibility of using
artificial intelligence (AI) in their quest to
improve the Nürburgring’s digital offering.
“What we need is AI race control,
where artificial intelligence screens the
pictures, and sorts out whether the car is
still driving, whether the car stops beside
the track. Then you can decide faster
because you can see what’s happening
out there [on the track].
“This is one central point we are trying
to make a reality in the future.”
Despite the challenges that the last two
years have presented, the Nürburgring has
shown community spirit and flexibility in its
operations. As the effects of the flooding
subside and the vaccine rollout helps to
bring the pandemic under control, the venue
is well positioned to remain an important
motorsport circuit for years to come.
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