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.
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