‘Driving legend’ and Top Gear presenter Schmitz dies at 51
TOP GEAR presenter and racing driver Sabine Schmitz has been remembered as “powerful and irrepressible” and “a proper driving legend” after her death at the age of 51.
The German driver, known as the Queen of the Nurburgring, revealed last year that she had been battling cancer since 2017.
She appeared on Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and became part of the presenting team when Chris Evans revamped the show in 2015.
Clarkson paid tribute, saying Schmitz was “such a sunny person and so full of beans”.
His co-star Richard Hammond wrote on Twitter: “Very sad to hear of the passing of Sabine Schmitz, a proper driving legend who’ll be sadly missed by many. The Ring has lost its Queen. RIP”
Schmitz was the only female winner of the 24 Hours Of Nurburgring, the famous German racing track.
James May said: “I never thought car makers should be at the ‘Ring, but I always thought Sabine Schmitz should, and would, be. Rotten news.”
Chris Harris, who joined the presenting line-up with Evans and is part of the current lineup with Paddy McGuinness and Freddie Flintoff wrote: “The motoring world lost one of its true legends last night, when the powerful and irrepressible Sabine Schmitz passed away, aged just 51.”
Schmitz announced via social media last year that she was absent from the Nurburgring Endurance Series due to her ongoing battle with cancer.
In the post, she said: “Since the end of 2017, I have been fighting an extremely persistent cancer that has not been eliminated with the resources so far. It got a little better – but now it’s come back with full force.”