Sabine Schmitz

Sabine Schmitz (née Reck) (born 14th May, 1969 in Adenau, West Germany, died 16th March, 2021 in Barweiler, Germany) was a German racing driver and television presenter. Schmitz was perhaps most famous for being the 'Ring-Taxi' driver on the Nürburgring and had completed over 25,000 laps of the Nordschleife circuit.

WTCM

Schmitz first came to prominence in 1988 when she took part in the Nordschleife round of the World Touring Car Masters in her own Toyota Corolla Coupe. She finished in 5th place in Class D on her first outing - which was particularly impressive considering she was only nineteen at the time. She returned a year later with her own car once more but she failed to qualify when she was blocked by other drivers.

1990 saw Schmitz be picked up by the Works Mitsubishi outfit in their fourth car - which had been rotating drivers all season to promote local talent. Schmitz was in the far more competitive Class B this time around and she achieved a very strong fourth in class - or 16th overall.

Other Endeavours

Schmitz won the Nürburgring 24hrs on two occasions.

Outside of motorsport, Schmitz became a popular TV presenter both domestically and abroad. Schmitz presented D Motor on German channel DMAX, Top Gear and Fifth Gear in the United Kingdom as well as being a regular guest when a major series visits the Nürburgring.