Sabine Schmitz dead: Top Gear presenter and Queen of the Nurburgring passes away aged 51
Schmitz, the Queen of the Nurburgring, was a familiar face on British television due to her spell on the BBC's Top Gear over the years, first appearing on the show back in 2004
Top Gear and German racing legend Sabine Schmitz has tragically passed away aged 51 after a long battle with cancer.
Schmitz, known as the Queen of the Nurburgring, was a familiar face on British television due to her spell on the BBC's flagship motor racing show over the years.
The TV star first appeared alongside Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May back in 2004 and retained a recurring role throughout various iterations of the show over the years.
She became an instant hit with fans after racing a Ford Transit van around the Nurburgring in an attempt to get under the 10 minute mark; a feat she missed out on by just eight seconds.
Last year Schmitz - the only female winner of the 24 Hours of Nurburgring - revealed she had been secretly battling cancer since 2017, having been forced to pull out of a racing event at the last minute.
Nurburgring, the iconic German racing track which is regarded as one of the most challenging circuits in motorsport, revealed the tragic news of her death on Wednesday morning.
A statement read: "The Nurburgring 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!"
Former Top Gear presenter Clarkson led the tributes, writing on Twitter: "Terrible news about Sabine Schmitz. Such a sunny person and so full of beans."In a gut-wrenching post on social media last year, Schmitz explained that her absence from the Nurburgring Endurance Series race, despite being on the entry list, was due to her battle with cancer.
She wrote: "Dear friends of professional motor sport.
"Many of you have probably wondered why I was on the list of participants on our Porsche in the NSL and then didn’t drive after all.
"I would like to provide enlightenment here, I think I owe it to my/our fans!
"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.
"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.
"In addition, I would like to thank everyone for their help and support in my everyday life, and encouragement in writing!
"So sweethearts, now you have an update. Please stay healthy and cheerful, see you at the ‘Ring.”
This Sunday's episode of Top Gear will be dedicated to the German racing driver.
Clare Pizey, Top Gear's executive producer, said in a statement on behalf of the Top Gear team: "Sabine was a beloved member of the Top Gear family and presenting team since 2016, having first appeared on the show in 2004, and everyone who had the pleasure of working with her on the team is in shock at this news.
"The 'Queen of the Nurburgring', Sabine radiated positivity, always wore her cheeky smile no matter how hard things got - and was a force of nature for women drivers in the motoring world.
"Like everyone else who knew her, we will truly miss her - Sabine really was one of a kindOur thoughts are with her partner Klaus who was always by her side and who we welcomed to Dunsfold many times, and her family in Germany."
Schmitz grew up within the boundaries of Germany's iconic race track and earned the nickname "Queen of the Nurburgring" after estimating she completed more than 20,000 laps of the track.
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