RIP: Sabine Schmitz, former racing driver and Top Gear presenter, dies aged 51.

Sabine Schmitz, the only female winner of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, 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.

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!”

The Adenau-born Schmitz’s first triumph at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring came in 1996 with Johannes Scheid and Hans Widmann in the BMW M3. She won again the following year with Scheid, Hans-Jürgen Tiemann and Peter Zakowski.

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

I loved her appearances on the Jeremy Clarkson-era Top Gear:

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): I love this video: “Mr. Slipstream, I am coming!”