accidents
Two dead during a commercial test drive at the Nürburgring
The “Tiergarten” section of the Nürburgring-Nordschleife where the accident happened. photo
© Thomas Frey/dpa
The Nürburgring in the Eifel is popular with professionals and fans. Manufacturers also use the circuit to test their vehicles. A serious accident occurs.
Two people died during a commercial test drive on the Nürburgring in the Eifel. “One vehicle participating in the test drives had an accident in the Tiergarten section,” said the spokesman for the Nürburgring on Thursday. Two people lost their lives in the “severe accident”. According to reports, the two drivers were thrown out of the test car.
The two dead are two employees of the tire manufacturer Goodyear, as confirmed on Thursday. “We are deeply saddened that two Goodyear employees based in Luxembourg died in a car accident on a test track in Germany on August 9,” the Goodyear Germany GmbH press team said. “We support the local authorities in the investigation.”
What was tested?
When asked, the sports car manufacturer Porsche AG confirmed that the drivers were driving a brand-name car when the accident occurred. We deeply regret the tragic accident and are thinking of the relatives, said a spokeswoman. “At the moment we can only confirm that the vehicle involved in the accident is a model of our brand,” it said. “The test drives were not carried out by us and we neither own nor own this vehicle.”
According to a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, it was a test drive by a company. The accident happened on the closed commercial route, not in public traffic. What was tested is unclear.
The police confirmed an accident with two dead. A death investigation had been initiated, said a police spokesman on Thursday. That is a standard procedure. “From a police point of view, it is not a public traffic area,” said the spokesman. Therefore, no “classic traffic accident” is recorded. It was a closed event.
After the accident on Wednesday, rescue measures were initiated immediately, said the spokesman for the Nürburgring. However, the two occupants died. In the so-called industry pool, companies and manufacturers test their vehicles and products on the Nürburgring. Experience has shown that companies only use experienced and professional test drivers for such test drives on the Nürburgring. Accidents with injuries are extremely rare.
The Nürburgring is used by both professionals and amateurs. According to the police, there were 77 accidents on tourist trips last year, and one person died. The Nürburgring canceled all tourist drives on the Nordschleife on Wednesday evening.