Sabine Schmitz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sabine Schmitz
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Schmitz, in 2007
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| Born | 14 May 1969 Adenau, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany
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| Died | 16 March 2021 (aged 51) |
| Other names | "Queen of the Nürburgring" Sabine Reck (name used prior to 2000) |
| Occupation | Racing driver, television personality |
| Television | Top Gear |
| Spouse(s) |
Klaus Abbelen
(m. 2000) |
Sabine Schmitz (born 14 May 1969 – died 16 March 2021) was a famous German racing driver and TV star. She grew up in Adenau, Germany, near the famous Nürburgring race track. Her family owned a hotel and restaurant business.
Sabine first trained to work in her family's business. But she soon decided to follow her passion for racing. She became a professional driver for big car companies like BMW and Porsche. She was especially known for her amazing skills on the Nürburgring track. She even won two big endurance races there. Sabine also became very popular on TV, especially after appearing on the BBC show Top Gear. She sadly passed away in March 2021, at 51 years old, after battling cancer.
Contents
Sabine's Racing Career
Mastering the Nürburgring
Sabine and her two older sisters all started racing cars. They would even drive the family car on the Nordschleife, a very long and challenging race track. Sabine was the only sister who kept racing and became a champion.
She won many races in different series, like the VLN endurance racing championship in 1998. She also won the tough 24 Hours Nürburgring race twice, in 1996 and 1997. She drove a BMW M3 car for these wins.
Sabine became famous for driving one of the two BMW M5 "ring taxis." These cars would take people for exciting rides around the 20.8 km (12.9 mi)-long Nürburgring track. She drove in a very fun and thrilling way.
Sabine estimated that she drove around the Nürburgring more than 20,000 times! She added about 1,200 laps each year. Because she knew the track so well, people called her the "Queen of the Nürburgring" and "the fastest taxi driver in the world." She said her favorite parts of the track were the Schwedenkreuz and Fuchsröhre.
Sabine also had her own company, Sabine Schmitz Motorsport. This company offered special driver training. It also provided a "ring taxi" service for passengers. Sabine herself stopped driving the "ring taxi" in 2011.
Racing in South Africa
In 1995, Sabine raced in the South African Touring Car Championship. She drove an E36 BMW car. She raced alongside teammates Deon Joubert and Shaun Van Der Linde.
Sabine faced some challenges in this championship. She was often slower than her teammates. They knew the race tracks very well. She also had an accident during practice. This meant she had to miss three races. At the end of the 1995 season, Sabine finished last in her class. She did not win any races that year. She did not return for the 1996 season.
- 24 Hours Nürburgring: She won this race overall in 1996 and 1997 with BMW. She also finished third in 2008 with Porsche. She placed ninth in 2011 and sixth in 2012, both with Porsche.
Sabine's TV Career
Becoming a TV Star
Because she was so popular as "the fastest taxi driver in the world," Sabine became a guest commentator for motorsport events. People loved her funny and honest way of describing things that happened during races.
From September 2006, Sabine co-hosted a car show called D Motor on the DMAX TV channel in Germany. In each episode, she would take on a new challenge. For example, she raced a Ferrari 360 against a powerful 1200 horsepower Race Truck. She also raced a Formula Renault car against a race sidecar. She also appeared on another car show called Fifth Gear.
Her first time on British TV was in 2002. She appeared on a BBC show called Jeremy Clarkson: Meets the Neighbours. She drove the show's host, Jeremy Clarkson, around the Nürburgring in the "ring taxi."
On Top Gear
Sabine became even more famous in the United Kingdom in December 2004. She appeared on the BBC show Top Gear with presenter Jeremy Clarkson. Jeremy tried to drive a Jaguar S-Type diesel car around the Nürburgring. He completed a lap in 9 minutes and 59 seconds.
Sabine then joked that she could do that lap time in a van! She then drove the same Jaguar S-Type. She completed the lap in 9 minutes and 12 seconds. This was 47 seconds faster than Jeremy! The film crew even had trouble keeping up with her. Later, Sabine tried to beat Jeremy's time in a Ford Transit diesel van. She almost did it, missing his time by just 9 seconds.
In 2008, Sabine and other German TV presenters took part in a "Top Gear Vs the Germans" challenge. Sabine raced against Jeremy Clarkson in a fun driving event. She beat him by several seconds.
In December 2015, news reports said that Sabine had been chosen as a new presenter for Top Gear. The BBC confirmed this in February 2016. She joined several new presenters for the show.
Sabine's Personal Life
Sabine was born in Adenau. Her parents owned a local restaurant. Sabine and her two older sisters grew up in the "Hotel am Tiergarten." This hotel was located right inside the Nürburgring Nordschleife track.
Sabine trained to work in hotels and also became a sommelière, someone who knows a lot about wine. She was also a skilled helicopter pilot.
In July 2020, Sabine shared on Facebook that she had been battling cancer since late 2017. She had received treatment and felt better, but the cancer returned. She continued to receive treatment. Sabine sadly passed away from cancer in a hospital in Trier on 16 March 2021. She was 51 years old. To honor her, the Nürburgring track renamed its first corner on the Nordschleife loop the "Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve."
Images for kids
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The BMW 318iS Super Touring cars of Deon Joubert and Sabine Schmitz, photographed at Kyalami during October 1995.
