Queen of the Nürburgring Sabine Schmitz honoured with renamed corner

Sabine Schmitz is to be permanently honoured at the Nürburgring after officials announced the circuit's turn one will be renamed in her honour following the trailblazing driver's death in March.

Schmitz, nicknamed the 'Queen of the Nürburgring', is the only female driver to have tasted success in the daunting 24-hour touring car race held on the Nordschleife.

In both 1996 and '97, Schmitz was victorious driving a BMW M3 but her personality reached a wider audience through her various appearances on Top Gear, including a stint as a presenter between 2016 and 2018.

On March 17, she lost a four-year battle against cancer.

As a mark of remembrance, the first corner is to now be known as the Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve.

Nürburgring managing director Mirco Markfort said: “Sabine was the ambassador of the Nürburgring. Her name was mentioned around the globe in the same breath as our race track.

“It still stands for what defines the Nürburgring - the close connection to the region, the close proximity to the fans and the passionate commitment.”

Why turn one?

The Nordschleife is made up of 154 corners, 170 if including the Formula 1 'GP-Strecke'.

The decision to rename this particular corner is due to its close proximity to Nürburg, the place where Schmitz grew up.

The official inauguration of the Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve will take place as part of the six-hour race on September 11.

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