The EuroSpeedway Lausitz/Lausitzring will be closed to the public after the completion of the 2017 racing season.
Automotive safety company Dekra has bought the track and plans to run the facility as a testing ground for road car innovations. The firm already has a test centre at the circuit and will enlarge its operations.
The plan is to transform the track into a simulation area for fully autonomous vehicles.
The German round of the World Superbike Championship taking place next month will therefore be the last major motor racing event to take place at the Lausitzring.
Opened in 2000, the circuit boasts the oval used by CART Champ Car in 2001 and 2003, and the infield layout that has played a feature in the DTM Series.
In addition there is an extended test track layout featuring a much larger oval.
The circuit claimed infamy for the accident of two time CART champion Alex Zanardi which led to the loss of his legs in the 2001 Champ Car race.
In the same year it was the scene of former Formula One driver Michele Alboreto‘s fatal crash whilst testing an Audi Le Mans prototype.
Dekra will officially take over ownership of the track on November 1st.
