Sabine Schmitz: Nürburgring Corner Named After The Top Gear Racing Driver After Her Passing
March of 2021 brought the devastating news that Sabine Schmitz, the talented racing driver and Top Gear presenter, had passed away after a long battle with cancer. Being both an inspiration and a role model for all that met her and watched her, she was and still is missed sorely.
She made her name at the Nürburgring, where she became the first and only woman to ever come first at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. On top of this, she was a veteran driver of the ‘Ring Taxi, and a legendary presenter of the BBC’s Top Gear. Her passing was painful, and we knew something big had to happen to pay respect to the driver.
A petition was released, asking the Nürburgring to name a corner after the racing driver, and now we’re happy to tell you that this has just been accepted. The track released this statement:
“A cheerful laugh, an open ear for every fan and the Nordschleife in the heart – that’s how Sabine Schmitz is remembered. Born and raised at the Nurburgring, she has spent most of her life around and on the Nordschleife. For more than 30 years she has successfully pushed vehicles to the limit here or even driven her grandmother over the track to the hairdresser. In total, there were more than 33,000 laps done.”
The corner chosen is turn 13, usually noted as being the “first curve of the Nordschliefe”, with it being the first of the Formula 1 layout of the track. 50,000 signatures signed the petition, and now we’re happy to see the Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve being opened on September 11th of this year.
Nurburgring Managing Director Mirco Markfort said the following:
“Sabine Schmitz was the ambassador of the Nurburgring. Her name was mentioned around the globe in the same breath as our race track.”
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