American investment group to buy The Ring for $90M

Does anyone know the history of the American investment group?

After all one did save Ducati from a fate worse than death before VAG bought it.

I keep hoping that someone, somewhere will see the tourist destination that Nurburging has become and get the crazy idea to build a version in the U.S. Doesn't need to be 14 miles. I think 5 miles would be enough. Put it somewhere that doesn't see snow. Sorta like Disneyworld for gearheads.

Tracks are profitable in the US, I don't see how the most famous track in the world couldn't be. Let them build hotels and stuff around the track, anything to keep it alive. If Porsche can build an SUV to survive anything is possible!

In reply to ncjay:

Why bother shrinking it? 1/3 size would mean 1/3 the elevation changes, but closer together, you'd probably end up making it more violent scaling it down. Build it in the desert, full scale, 300 meter elevation change and all.

trying to build it elsewhere would be like trying to build an outdoor ice rink in Scottsdale, AZ. Certain things only work in certain places and thusly it's how they came to naturally be in said areas. If the market deems that a 8+ mile track with topography and elevation changes is needed then a developer and designer should make one, but make it original. Doing a copy is like playing one of those copycat rendition golf courses, they're one trick pony show novelity acts frequented by guys on bachelor parties and d-bags that don't normally take part in the sport but that want to play "the best". A repliaring would be the same to track driving, but with dangerous consquences.

dyintorace wrote:

chrispy wrote: A firend of mine is doing an actual track day on the Nordschleife during his homeymoon. The road is closed to the public and there are only a couple of hundred spots available. He's rented a track prepped BRZ (cage, harness, etc) and instructors are avialable by the lap or the hour. He said the rules are similar to TrackDaze with limited passing, point bys, and the like. He purposly researched when the public days were and stayed away from them. Its stupid expensive but something to check off of the bucket list.

Any details on the web regarding this option? I would love to drive the 'ring but would be more comfortable doing it in a properly outfitted car and with instruction.

Here:

http://www.rent4ring.de/en/info/track-days/track-days.html

I'm sure there are other car rental places out there but these guys have a good reputation. I was going to do a track day with them last year but some family health issues popped up. Trying again this year. Based on their email responses they're good guys.

dculberson wrote:

dyintorace wrote:

chrispy wrote: A firend of mine is doing an actual track day on the Nordschleife during his homeymoon. The road is closed to the public and there are only a couple of hundred spots available. He's rented a track prepped BRZ (cage, harness, etc) and instructors are avialable by the lap or the hour. He said the rules are similar to TrackDaze with limited passing, point bys, and the like. He purposly researched when the public days were and stayed away from them. Its stupid expensive but something to check off of the bucket list.

Any details on the web regarding this option? I would love to drive the 'ring but would be more comfortable doing it in a properly outfitted car and with instruction.

Here: http://www.rent4ring.de/en/info/track-days/track-days.html I'm sure there are other car rental places out there but these guys have a good reputation. I was going to do a track day with them last year but some family health issues popped up. Trying again this year. Based on their email responses they're good guys.

Thanks!

Well, looks like the US investment group got beat to the finish:

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=29614.htm

In reply to captdownshift:

You'd be right, if we were talking about something as benign as a golf course or ice rink. You could never get away with a new track design anything like the ring(for anything approaching public access), a copy somewhere without trees(i.e near infinite runoff area) maybe.

A copy of the 'ring with meaningful amounts of runoff room would be an improvement. There's nothing really inherently dangerous about the layout of the track, it's just that a forest cordoned off with armco barriers is rarely more than a couple of car's widths off the edge of the pavement. Other tracks have yumps and kinks and bumpy surfaces and partially banked corners and massive straightaways, no problem.

In reply to BoxheadTim:

Well that's interesting... Wish I knew for sure more about what it meant for either HIG or Capricorn to win.

Save The Ring on FB doesn't appear happy about it.

add runoff and watch the appeal disappear of the layout disappear as well, challenging technical corners now become "cut" corners without consquences and drivers do video game equilavant of wall riding around the course all while carrying enough speed that when things do go wrong they have more speed and inertia to reak havoc with.

Bum deal, but it looks like they have some direction.

GameboyRMH wrote: Other tracks have yumps and kinks and bumpy surfaces and partially banked corners and massive straightaways, no problem.

Show me any track matching this description built in the last 40 years.

Kenny_McCormic wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: Other tracks have yumps and kinks and bumpy surfaces and partially banked corners and massive straightaways, no problem.

Show me any track matching this description built in the last 40 years.

Come visit the Shenandoah Circuit complete with Karussel.

Well, it looks like this won't affect anything for me, it's 6am and I'm about to go get my clio rs from rentracecar.de!

I know a lot of people are happy that a German company ended up buying it, just for the heritage.

In reply to Hal:

Every part of the equation except the straight (which I could care less about)