‘Queen of the Nurburgring’ and ex-Top Gear host Sabine Schmitz dies aged 51

Racing driver and Top Gear presenter Sabine Schmitz has died at the age of 51 (Andrew Matthews/PA))

Sabine Schmitz, the only female winner of the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, has died at the age of 51.

The Top Gear presenter revealed last year that she had been dealing with a rare form of cancer since 2017.

German race track Nurburgring said in a statement: “The Nurburgring has lost its most famous female racing driver.

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! pic.twitter.com/MFKNNFOSDU
— Nürburgring (@nuerburgring) March 17, 2021

“Sabine Schmitz passed away far too early after a long illness.

“We will miss her and her cheerful nature. Rest in peace Sabine!”

Adenau-born Schmitz’s first triumph at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring came in 1996 with Johannes Scheid and Hans Widmann in the BMW M3.

Sabine Schmitz was part of the BBC show’s Top Gear presenting team (BBC)

She won again the following year with Scheid, Hans-Jurgen Tiemann and Peter Zakowski.

Schmitz, who was widely known as ‘Queen of the Nurburgring’, later impressed with her own team Frikadelli Racing, which she had founded with her husband Klaus Abbelen.

She first joined Jeremy Clarkson on the BBC show Top Gear in 2004 and became part of the presenting team when Chris Evans revamped the programme in 2016.