Sabine Schmitz, the only female winner of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring race, 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. Schmitz first joined Jeremy Clarkson on the BBC show in 2004 and became part of the presenting team when Chris Evans revamped the programme in 2016.
Schmitz’s first triumph at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring came in 1996 with Johannes Scheid and Hans Widmann in the BMW M3, and she won the race again the following year. Formula One has paid tribute to ‘Queen of the Nürburgring’ Schmitz, ‘a unique, much-loved and cherished member of our sport’s family and a force of nature’.