It bothers me that raddled old Commies like Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein can live to a ripe [sic] old age, but wonderful women like Sabine Schmitz get snatched away from us far too early.
“Sabine who?” you ask.
There was no one like Sabine Schmitz, the Queen of the Nurburgring, and I’m not sure there’ll ever be anyone quite like her.
Whenever she was due to appear on the old Top Gear show, I made sure never to miss it, because she was the real deal: taunting, teasing, mocking, shouting, screaming and in general, making utter fools of all the Top Gear hosts — especially Clarkson — and then backing it up with matchless displays of driving skill around one of the world’s deadliest racing circuits.
Here’s a tribute to Sabine from, well, everyone who ever knew her professionally. And here’s Part 1 and Part 2 of her audacious challenge: that she could drive around the Ring faster in a Ford Transit van than Jeremy Clarkson had done in a Jaguar.
I loved loved LOVED Sabine Schmitz, and I am going to miss her terribly.
Maybe I’m just becoming numb to the raging stupid in society but this struck me harder than anything else I’ve read this morning.
As part of the lockdown, I re-watched the entire Top Gear series. The real one, not the pretenders or the US version. Since the kids were also home and doing largely useless virtual schooling, they watched it with me. The younger daughter didn’t care for it but the elder shares my sense of humor and loved it. She particularly got a kick out of the episodes with Sabine. I still catch her watching episodes from time to time.
…and, like you said, shit stains on society seem to live forever. Just awful.
Well stated sir
RIP Sabine.
Such sad news.
By pure coincidence, just a few days ago I watched a repeat of the Top Gear episode with Sabine racing around the Nurburgring in a daggy old Ford Transit van, cheering and hallooing as she passed sportscars and motorcycles.
It brought a huge smile to my face then, and the news that she has passed away just brought a tear or two.
RIP, talented and lovely lady.
Her bright, bubbly, up-for-anything ( and unspoken I’ll be better at it than than you confidence) personality came through on whatever show she was on. and it wasn’t just the ring where she was fast. She had great natural talent. A smooth, quiet and very fast driving style. I was stunned when i heard of her passing.
Very confusing when i first heard of her passing. There was never any sign of the cancer that took her. …. and i was sure she hadn’t had an high speed “off” somewhere.
She will live on in lots of videos.
She was the only reason to even watch the poxy replacement Top Gear after the trio left. I agree wholeheartedly with your tribute. Cute, clever, talented, funny (the funny part oft missing in my Deutsch brethren). I grew up on a ranch and we had a horse get caught in a gate, after much western-type drama and antics we got him freed up. Dad looked at Mom and said, “You know if that horse had been worth a damn, he’d have been cut up all to hell and ruined.” Instead not a scratch. You’re right on that account too.
I will miss her room-lighting smile.
Getting the Ford Transit around the track without parking it and exiting the vehicle in disgust is an accomplishment in itself.
I have had to drive our company’s Transit (unaffectionately dubbed “the clown car”) from Northern Illinois 4.5 hours one way into Michigan and back for work on many occasions and have come to several conclusions:
The transit was designed by all of the engineers who still had time on their contracts, but needed to be exiled from polluting other projects.
Passing gear consists of raising engine noise by 30db and up three octaves with negligible increase in speed. It goes from “whining toddler” to “Sodomized Guinea pig”. Sometimes I actually think it decreases speed.
The seats were designed by Klingons. Who laugh at your frail human weakness for things like “lumbar support” or “spinal alignment”.
Ford used advanced AI to absolutely maximize blind spots.
RIP Sabine. She was a rare character and shall be sorely missed.
RIP.
She was always a bright spot and made any episode of Top Gear worth watching, even the twit version after Clarkson/Hammond/May got the boot.
I’ve been watching the tribute videos of her this week, so sad. When I first read the news of her passing, I went to my 22 yr old daughter and asked her if she had ever heard of Sabine. She had not, so I told her about her and her accomplishments. She asked why I was telling her about her, and I said, because she just died of cancer at 51 years old. She got a bit angry, cancer took her mother at 49 when she was 16. She again said, why are you telling me this when its that damn cancer again? I said because Sabine was a special person that should not be forgotten. Queen of the Ring.
This is my favorite video of Sabine in her element. Have fun counting the number of drivers she passes in eight minutes and fifty seconds. In the rain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnJOC_dDXzM
Incredible car control, smooth, concise, great utilization of momentum.
And, Courteous.
The Queen of the Ring…..The Good they do die young.
A remarkable driver and warm human being – something that does not always appear together.
She will be missed by many who never had the opportunity to meet her.
R.I.P.
Ah, man, I hate to hear this. I always enjoyed watching her. Complete and total confidence in her superior driving skills. The world’s a poorer place for her passing.