Nürburg (Rhineland-Palatinate) – It was just after 6 p.m. on Friday evening when all hell broke loose in the paddock at the Nürburgring. Suddenly, screams mixed with the roar of engines: a massive explosion had just rocked the race track in the Eifel. One victim is said to have lost both legs.
A police patrol car stands at the scene of the accident in the paddock
Photo: private
The accident happened on the evening before the six-hour Ruhr Cup race. “I was standing about a hundred meters away when it happened,” an eyewitness told BILD. “A white wall came towards me, then it looked like a battlefield. People were screaming: ‘Bomb, bomb!’ There was blood everywhere.”
In the middle of the chaos lies a man covered in blood. “He looked down at himself in shock. When he saw that he no longer had legs, he started screaming. These are images that you never forget.”
The police have marked traces of blood in the paddock
Photo: private
A total of 22 people were injured, some seriously, by flying debris. A few moments later, rescue helicopters were approaching the “Ring” and emergency doctors were racing to the scene of the accident with their blue lights flashing. It is a miracle that no one was killed.
Several racing team employees in hospital
The team ‘Smyrlis Racing’ has been hit the hardest. The racing team’s yellow Porsche GT3s are well-known in the motorsport scene. Several team members are lying on the paddock floor with serious injuries and are fighting for their lives. According to BILD information, the team manager is among them.
On Saturday, the all-clear was given. A police spokesman told BILD: “Currently, none of the injured are in danger of dying. Their condition is stable.”
Such a compressed air bottle is said to have exploded in the paddock. The device is connected to the racing cars to lift them
Photo: private
The cause of the explosion is said to be a compressed air bottle. The compressed air causes cylinders to protrude from the floor of the car and the car is jacked up. This is routine in motor racing.
It is still unclear why the bottle exploded. Experts and the police are now investigating whether the compressor used to fill it or the compressed air bottle was defective.
The compressed air causes cylinders to move out of the car floor and jack up the high-performance cars – like a car jack
Photo: private
The day after the terrible accident, the engines are roaring again at the Nürburgring. In the paddock, fans and children are walking between bloodstains; the explosion site is shielded from prying eyes.
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“The VLN spoke to many team bosses and driver spokespeople. We then decided to go ahead with the race,” says Patrik Koziolek (48), spokesman for the ADAC Nürburgring Endurance Series, to BILD.
However, twelve teams are said to have decided not to take part following the accident.
