When drivers racing in endurance races at the Nürburgring’s combined track are coming off of the Grand Prix circuit and returning to the old Nordschleife, the first corner they encounter will be the “Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve.” The owners of the famed track announced today that the corner will officially be inaugurated in September at the ROWE 6 Hours ADAC Ruhr-Pokal-Rennen.
The corner is named in honor of Sabine Schmitz, the “Queen of the Nordschleife” who, by some estimates, had driven more than 33,000 laps of the 12.9-mile (20 km) track. Those laps were sometimes used to welcome people to the Nürburgring as the driver of the BMW ring taxi, and others were on her way to victory. Winning the 24h of Nürburgring twice (1996 and 1997), she was the first and remains the only woman to win the legendary race.
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“Sabine Schmitz was the ambassador of the Nürburgring. Her name was mentioned around the globe in the same breath as our race track,” says Mirco Markfort, Nürburgring Managing Director. “It still stands for what defines the Nürburgring: the close connection to the region, the close proximity to the fans and the passionate commitment.”
Her connection to the track extended beyond her laps, though. Born in Adenau, Schmitz grew up around Nürburg and lived so close to the track that she had no choice but to interact with it. Nürburgring officials report that she sometimes even had to drive over the track to get her grandmother to the hairdresser. Sadly, in March, at the age of just 51, Schmitz lost her battle with cancer.
Schmitz has been given “the greatest honor” a race track can lay on a person, a corner in their name. More than just the first corner on the way back onto the Nordschleife, the Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve is located on the outskirts of Nürburg, where Schmitz grew up. The corner is a fitting tribute to one of the best-loved drivers in motorsports.
Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve on the Nordschleife!
➡ Highest honour for “the ambassador of the Nürburgring”.
➡ First corner on the Nordschleife receives her name
➡ Schmitz grew up a few metres away – in Nürburg
➡ Official ceremony: 11 September, 6h race Nürburgring Endurance Series pic.twitter.com/J4FTBL2PPI— Nürburgring (@nuerburgring) June 18, 2021
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