Ring°racer, Steel roller coaster at Nürburgring racing complex, Germany.
Ring°racer is a steel roller coaster at the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate. Its grey rails and thick spine run on tall dark grey tubular columns and diagonal braces, rising into a vertical loop on the right before sweeping down to the left. Below the lowest horizontal section stands a white building with dark window bands, a flat canopy and a "M Power" sign with blue and red stripes. The structure sits behind a perimeter fence.
The ride opened at the motorsport complex as an attempt to bring the racing experience into roller coaster form. Technical issues, however, led to its permanent shutdown after just a few days of operation.
The name ring°racer and the ride's layout referenced Formula 1: before the launch, S-curves were meant to simulate warming racing tyres, and the pneumatic launch ran along the start-finish straight of the Nürburgring's Grand Prix circuit. The coaster was part of the Nürburgring 2009 project, and a symbolic slow opening ride with celebrities took place during the 2009 Formula 1 race.
The site is accessible to visitors of the Nürburgring complex, where guests can easily walk to the roller coaster location. It is important to know that the ride itself no longer operates and remains visible only as a structure.
The launch was meant to reach 217 km/h in 2.5 seconds, but in 2011 the planned speed was cut to 160 km/h for technical reasons. The pneumatic system also misfired: on 3 September 2009 a test caused a bang that shattered windows in nearby buildings and injured workers. The ride never became the world's fastest; Formula Rossa took that record in 2010.
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