Former Top Gear presenter Sabine Schmitz - famous for being the only woman to win the Nurburgring 24 Hours - has died aged 51.
Schmitz said last year that she had been diagnosed with cancer in 2017.
Schmitz had become synonymous with the Nurburgring Nordschleife, the 14-mile circuit in Germany that is renowned as the toughest in the world.
She won the 24-hour touring car race at the track twice, in 1996 and 1997, driving a BMW M3.
She became known as the "Queen of the Nurburgring" and estimated she had driven around the track more than 20,000 times.
Rest in peace you wonderful, powerful, hilarious person. pic.twitter.com/nwXgBwZsbE
— chris harris (@harrismonkey) March 17, 2021
Schmitz later gained acclaim for an appearance on Top Gear in 2004 in which she drove a van around the track, and subsequently became a presenter on the show alongside Chris Evans in 2016.
This Sunday's episode of Top Gear will be dedicated to Schmitz, with Clare Pizey, executive producer, saying: "Sabine was a beloved member of the Top Gear family and presenting team since 2016, having first appeared on the show in 2004, and everyone who had the pleasure of working with her on the team is in shock at this news.
"Sabine radiated positivity, always wore her cheeky smile no matter how hard things got - and was a force of nature for women drivers in the motoring world.
"Like everyone else who knew her, we will truly miss her - Sabine really was one of a kind. Our thoughts are with her partner Klaus, who was always by her side and who we welcomed to Dunsfold many times, and her family in Germany."
Top Gear presenter Chris Harris said Schmitz was a "wonderful, powerful, hilarious person" while the show's former presenter Jeremy Clarkson paid tribute by tweeting she was "such a sunny person and so full of beans".
The Nürburgring has lost its most famous female racing driver.
— Nürburgring (@nuerburgring) March 17, 2021
Sabine Schmitz passed away far too early after a long illness. We will miss her and her cheerful nature. Rest in peace Sabine! pic.twitter.com/MFKNNFOSDU
Latest Stories
-
‘We’re taking it game by game’ – Ibrahim Tanko on Accra Lions’ title ambitions
4 mins -
Nigerians pick sides as Wizkid and Davido clash online
9 mins -
Nigeria Workers’ Day: Civil servants get pay rises up to 35%
15 mins -
“I am the Austrian team boss with all my heart,” Rangnick turns down Bayern
33 mins -
Failed asylum seeker given £3,000 to go to Rwanda
35 mins -
Nigerian gasoline prices soar as shortages worsen cost of living crisis
54 mins -
Paris 2024: We will win medal at Olympics if government invests more – GPC President
59 mins -
Akufo-Addo calls for protection of Ghana’s democratic reputation and identity
1 hour -
Apple working to fix alarming iPhone issue
1 hour -
‘You won’t win GPL title without your own stadium’ – Bashir Hayford tells Kotoko, Hearts
1 hour -
Ryan Garcia denies using performance-enhancing drugs after beating Devin Haney
1 hour -
We must change phenomenon of moneyed elections – Raymond Atuguba
1 hour -
Accra Lions punished us for not taking our chances – Hearts of Oak assistant coach Abdul Bashiru
1 hour -
Biosafety Authority welcomes court’s dismissal of application seeking injunction on approval of 14 GMOs
2 hours -
Adaklu-Tevikpo murder suspect arrested from hideout
2 hours