Special honour for “the ambassador of the Nürburgring” – Nordschleife gets Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve

18.06.2021

  • Ambassador of the Nürburgring
  • She was the first and so far only female racing driver to win the 24h Race
  • Official inauguration at the 6-hour race of the Nürburgring endurance series

Nürburg. Sabine Schmitz will remain part of the Nordschleife forever: The Nürburgring honours the former racing driver with her own corner on the legendary race track. The future „Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve” is the first corner of the Nordschleife on the outskirts of Nürburg. The racing driver grew up just a few meters away. Born in Adenau, she was closely linked to the race track in the Eifel region throughout her life and was regarded as its greatest ambassador. She was the first woman to win the famous 24h Race and is known worldwide as the “Queen of the Nordschleife”. Sabine Schmitz died in March of this year at the age of only 51.

A cheerful laugh, an open ear for every fan and the Nordschleife in the heart – that’s how Sabine Schmitz is remembered. Born and raised at the Nürburgring, she has spent most of her life around and on the Nordschleife. For more than 30 years she has successfully pushed vehicles to the limit here or even driven her grandmother over the track to the hairdresser. In total, there were more than 33.000 laps done. Sometimes at the wheel of the BMW ring taxi, sometimes with a van for the TV production “Top Gear” or in the Porsche of Frikadelli Racing. In 1996 and 1997 she won the 24h Race as the first and so far only woman – at that time in the legendary Eifelblitz.

She became known all over the world for her extraordinary friendly manner and her performances on the demanding race track. In many TV shows she brought the Nordschleife into the living rooms of the spectators. “Sabine Schmitz was the ambassador of the Nürburgring. Her name was mentioned around the globe in the same breath as our race track”, says Nürburgring Managing Director Mirco Markfort. “It is still stands for what defines the Nürburgring: the close connection to the region, the close proximity to the fans and the passionate commitment.”

Now Sabine Schmitz receives the greatest honour there is on a race track: her own corner. The choice fell on the left-hand curve, which is located on the outskirts of the community of Nürburg – where Sabine Schmitz grew up just a few metres away from the race track. After turning off the Grand Prix track, it is the first corner on the Nordschleife. The official inauguration of the “Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve” will take place as part of the 6-hour race of the Nürburgring Endurance Eeries on the 11th of September 2021 (ROWE 6 Hours ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen).