Nurburgring Paddock Explosion Leaves Several Airlifted To Hospital

A practice session for the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC) Ruhr Cup at the iconic Nürburgring was abruptly stopped due to an explosion of a pressurized cylinder in the paddock area. This occurred during the preliminary setup for the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) fourth round, leading to multiple injuries.

The explosion took place shortly after 6 p.m. behind a pit in the Grand Prix paddock area. Preliminary investigations suggest a pressurized cylinder as the cause of this unexpected blast.

According to an official statement from the Nürburgring, as quoted by Sportscar365:

“During the test and practice runs ahead of the fourth round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS), an explosion occurred shortly after 6 p.m. behind a pit in the Grand Prix paddock area,” a statement from the series read.

“Preliminary findings suggest that the explosion was caused by a pressure cylinder.

“Extensive emergency personnel on site immediately initiated appropriate first measures and secured the accident scene. The test run was immediately interrupted.

“Initial reports indicate that there are several injured individuals who, after receiving immediate care at the Nürburgring Medical Center, were transported by rescue helicopter to nearby hospitals.

“The police are investigating the scene, as is customary in such situations. Further information will follow.”

Emergency teams on site responded swiftly, ensuring the quick evacuation and treatment of several injured individuals, who were initially tended at the Nürburgring Medical Center before being airlifted to nearby hospitals for specialized care. The condition of the individuals sent to the hospital has not yet been confirmed following the incident.

Mike Jäger, VLN boss, has also spoken out about the incident and has confirmed that the race will continue despite this. He commented:

“An unfortunate industrial accident occurred during the test and we are all deeply shocked and our thoughts are with those affected,” said VLN boss Mike Jäger.

“However, the incident is not directly related to the event, so we have decided together with our teams to hold the event.”

Despite the severity of the accident, race organizers confirmed that the six-hour race scheduled for Saturday would proceed as planned. A total of 126 cars were registered for the event.

The police have since launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the exact cause of the explosion.

The practice session was pushed back to 8:52am local time, however, this did not change the timetable for the remainder of the racing weekend.