How did Top Gear’s Sabine Schmitz die at 51? Racing world pays tribute to only woman to win 24 Hours Nurburgring
German professional motor racing driver Sabine Schmitz, the only female winner of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring -- a 24-hour annual touring car and GT endurance racing event that takes place on a combination of the Nordschleife and the GP-Strecke circuits of the Nürburgring in central Germany -- has died at the age of 51. Schmitz was also known for her appearances on the BBC television show ‘Top Gear’ with presenter Jeremy Clarkson.
The German race track released a statement paying tribute to the 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!” Clarkson tweeted about her death saying, “Terrible news about Sabine Schmitz. Such a sunny person and so full of beans.”
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Mark Gallagher, the managing director of Performance Insights Ltd and was the founder and co-owner of Status Grand Prix, wrote on Twitter: “What sad news about Sabine Schmitz. Such an enthusiastic person who lived life flat out.”
Terrible news about Sabine Schmitz. Such a sunny person and so full of beans.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) March 17, 2021
What sad news about Sabine Schmitz. Such an enthusiastic person who lived life flat out. Had an enquiry to work with her for a client in 2018 - came straight back to me, full of excitement. Even though she was already battling serious illness. Tragic that she is gone at 51. https://t.co/nSpHOj0KuF pic.twitter.com/oBI8jlzkG9
— Mark Gallagher (@_markgallagher) March 17, 2021
Chris Harris, another ‘Top Gear’ alum wrote about her death, saying, “She was a bundle of energy, one of those people whose resting facial expression was a huge grin, and she was so much fun to be around and to work alongside.” He added, “The Top Gear family will miss her terribly, as will her army of fans.”
How did Sabine Schmitz die?
In July 2020, Schmitz revealed that she had been fighting “extremely persistent cancer” for three years. “Since the end of 2017, I have been fighting an extremely persistent cancer that has not been eliminated with the resources so far,” she said then. “It got a little better -- but now it’s come back with full force. Now I have to draw all the strength and nerve to master the next powerful therapies … hoping something [good] will happen. So I say goodbye ‘probably’ for the first time this season.”
While no official reason has been reported as of yet, most reports have presumed cancer as the cause of death. Harris of ‘Top Gear’ in his obituary noted: “She had been battling cancer for some time, but I suppose we just assumed that it being Sabine -- unstoppable Sabine -- she would win that one as well.”
Sabine Schmitz’s life and accomplishments
Born in Adenau, a town in the High Eifel in Germany, Schmitz and her two elder sisters grew up in the Hotel am Tiergarten in Nürburg. As per a 2010 profile of the racer, Schmitz “ran her first lap there at the age of 15 and by her own estimate has done more than 30,000 laps -- or almost 400,000 miles -- on the Nordschleife."
Her first triumph at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring came in 1996 with Johannes Scheid and Hans Widmann in the BMW M3. She won it again the following year with Scheid, Hans-Jurgen Tiemann and Peter Zakowski.
Since 2006, the racing legend co-presented the German motoring show ‘D Motor’. She became known as the “world’s fastest taxi driver” after she drove passengers around the Nürburgring track in BMW M5 “ring taxis”.