Good news for the health care of an entire region: rescue helicopters will continue to take off from the Nürburgring for medical emergencies in the future. The operating company of the race track and Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe have signed a contract for the next 30 years. This means that the Ring and the surrounding rural area will have an important means of rescue at their disposal - 365 days a year.
"Deployment for Air Rescue Nürburgring" has been the motto in the event of an emergency in the Eifel for eight years now. When rapid assistance is needed at the Nürburgring, but also anywhere else between Cologne, Koblenz and Trier, Johanniter Air Rescue is regularly called out. At speeds of up to 270 kilometers per hour, the helicopter reaches every corner of the rural area around the race track in just a few minutes - and flies sick and injured people just as quickly to the specialized clinics in the major cities.
With an emergency doctor and a wide range of medical equipment on board, the "Air Rescue Nürburgring" is a real lifesaver. And it is in constant demand: the intensive care transport helicopter (ITH) takes off several times a day. In addition to emergency missions, the focus is also on transferring seriously ill patients from one hospital to another. Since its commissioning in 2016, the ITH has been steadily gaining in importance, taking on more and more missions - most recently a total of 1,111 in 2023.
30 more years at the heart of the Grand Prix circuit
The air rescue service is stationed in the middle of the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit - and will remain so for at least the next three decades. The hangar is located just a few meters from the ring's asphalt. Race track operations can continue without restrictions during take-offs and landings.
"The air rescue service guarantees rapid assistance at and around the Nürburgring," explains the Managing Director of Nürburgring 1927 GmbH & Co. KG, Ingo Böder. "We are proud to be able to continue making our contribution to the medical care of an entire region with our partners and the stationing of the helicopter, and we are happy to have the ITH here on site." Even if most rescue helicopter missions are not directly related to the Nürburgring, the ITH naturally supports the broad-based medical infrastructure at events on the Ring. During major events such as Rock am Ring, the 24-hour race or the Truck Grand Prix, tens of thousands of people spend time at the Ring: a medium-sized city that also needs medical care. Last year, the DRK Ahrweiler district association provided more than 1,100 treatments at the track's own medical center alone. "The fact that a rescue helicopter with the Nürburgring in its name does good every day makes us even more proud."
"The infrastructure of the Nürburgring and the location in the rural region offer the medical response team and the intensive care transport helicopter optimal conditions for providing medical assistance. Without the Nürburgring as a partner, care at this level would simply not be possible. The cooperation between Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe as the operator of the helicopter, the German Red Cross Ahrweiler as the operator of the Nürburgring Medical Center, as well as the rescue and medical service at the Nürburgring and Nürburgring 1927 GmbH & Co. KG are a strong alliance for the entire region - that has to be clearly stated," says Frank Zabell, Managing Director of Johanniter Luftrettung.