It’s been a long wait, but spectators will once again be allowed to attend the Nürburgring endurance series (NLS, formerly VLN). The announcement was made this morning via the official NLS website.
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The Nordschleife will remain officially off-limits for the duration of the race, the Nürburgring grandstands at the GP circuit will be opened to a limited number of race fans. EDIT: Ticket prices HAVE been announced, and are available tomorrow on nuerburgring.de. €18 per person, plus €8 parking. Children up to 12 are free.
It might seem counter-intuitive during a global pandemic to close the 20.8km Nordschleife to spectators while re-opening the grandstands, but it’s my understanding that the problem lies with the ‘Track & Trace’ requirements for any organised event. So while the chances of catching the virus are arguably much slimmer while traversing the hundreds of trackside forest acres, there’s no sure way for the organisers to keep track of who visited the race and trace them in case of an infection. Whereas if you put everybody together in a grandstand with controlled access and plenty of space between them, you can sell them tickets, be sure who was there and where they were sitting.
Welcome to 2020, BTGers. Personally, I won’t be watching the race, but I will be enjoying my MTB route which brings me close enough to listen to the sounds…
The health of everyone involved is still the focus of the Nürburgring endurance series. Applicable hygiene, distance and mask standards are guaranteed at all times by the health concept of the Nürburgring. To ensure full traceability, the three open grandstands have been divided into individual sections and designated seating blocks. These fixed blocks each have four bookable seats and are spaced accordingly. A mask is required on the way from the ticket inspection to the seat. Seating instructors guarantee that everyone has their own personalized seat. Follow-up is therefore possible in the event of infection. Each grandstand was also allocated a fixed parking zone. A visitor guidance system then ensures that visitors from different stands do not have to meet one another. The otherwise accessible paddock is not open to visitors. At each grandstand there are only sanitary facilities and catering assigned to the visitors to the grandstand.”
