Financial worries for Hockenheim
Plenty of paying spectators turn up for the DTM races - but still Hockenehim struggles.
Picture:ITR
The German Hockenheim-Ring circuit is facing a fight for its future, with talks progressing to sell title sponsorship to stave off bankruptcy proceedings.
The circuit - which has hosted the F1 German GP since the 1970s - is struggling to pay its debts following a £50 million redevelopment in 2001. The blasts through the forest section were replaced by a more compact circuit designed by Hermann Tilke. Massive new grandstands were also installed to capitalise on the popularity of F1 in the Schumacher era.
The circuit also attracts huge crowds for its rounds of the DTM series - although many of these are paid for by the manufacturers.
Falling attendances in F1 - together with the huge fees commanded by Bernie Ecclestone to host the Grand Prix - have seen the track struggle to break even, however.
Now its owners - the city of Hockenheim (51 percent) and the Badische Motor Club (49 percent) are looking for new financial partners. Among the possibilities are selling naming rights to the circuit, such as has happened at the A1-Ring in Austria and Infineon Raceway, among others, in the USA.
It is thought that the Badische Motor Club is willing to sell around 25.1 per cent of shares, allowing new investors voting rights on the day-to-day running of the circuit.
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