Sabine Schmitz, a history-making German racing driver and former “Top Gear” presenter, died Tuesday after a yearslong battle with cancer.
Schmitz, known as the Queen of the Nurburgring, became the first woman to win its famous 24-hour race in 1996 and repeated the success a year later.
“The Nurburgring has lost its most famous female racing driver,” the German circuit said in a statement.
“Sabine Schmitz passed away far too early after a long illness. We will miss her and her cheerful nature. Rest in peace Sabine!”
Schmitz began appearing on “Top Gear,” a British car show, in 2006 and joined the show as a regular presenter in 2016, alongside Chris Evans, “Friends” star Matt LeBlanc, Eddie Jordan, Chris Harris and Rory Reid.
“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,” “Top Gear” executive producer Clare Pizey said in a statement.
“Like everyone else who knew her, we will truly miss her — Sabine really was one of a kind. Our 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 was diagnosed with “extremely persistent cancer” in 2017, she disclosed last year.
“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,” she wrote on Facebook in July.
