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Schmitz, 'Queen of the Nürburgring,' dead at 51

March 17, 2021

The German racing legend was the only woman to win the 24-hours of Nürburgring, doing it twice. She founded her own racing team and later became a popular TV personality.

https://p.dw.com/p/3qky4
German racing driver Sabine Schmitz
Known as the 'Queen of the Nürburgring,' Schmitz broke barriers as a driver and team owner on the track and as a TV hostImage: Eibner/imago images

Sabine Schmitz, a German racing driver and television presenter, died of cancer Wednesday at the age of 51.

"The Nürburgring has lost its most famous female racing driver. Sabine Schmitz passed away far too early after a long illness. We will miss her and her cheerful nature. Rest in peace Sabine!" read a tweet put out by track management.

Born near the famous race track, Schmitz was drawn to motorsports from an early age, becoming a local fixture there when it was opened to the public.

In 1996, Schmitz — then racing as Sabine Reck — became the first and only woman to ever win the 24-hours of Nürburgring endurance race, piloting her BMW M3 to victory with teammates Johannes Scheid and Hans Widmann.

She repeated the feat with Scheid, Hans-Jürgen Tiemann and Peter Zakowski the following year.

In 2004, Schmitz joined the BBC show Top Gear alongside Chris Evans and Jeremy Clarkson.

Sabine Schmitz competes in the 2016 24-hours of Nürburgring
Schmitz founded Frikadelli Racing in 2005 with her second husband, meat manufacturer Klaus Abbelen Image: Perey/Fotostand/picture alliance

In 2005, she founded Frikadelli Racing (Meatballs) with her second husband Klaus Abbelen — a meat manufacturer.

Also known as the "world's fastest taxi driver" for the passenger rides she organized at the ring's 20.8 kilometer (13 mile) north loop, or "Green Hell" — which she estimated she had lapped more than 20,000 times — she put her intimate knowledge of the circuit on display during her Top Gear days. For instance, when she famously piloted a Ford van around it in just over 10 minutes — seconds shy of besting Clarkson's time in a Jaguar. 

Last year, Schmitz announced she had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer back in 2017.

"We are all deeply saddened to hear that Sabine Schmitz has passed away. An incredible talent and wonderful person who made us all smile. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time," wrote Formula One in a tweet.

Nürburgring 24-hour race

js/aw (AP, Reuters)