CHRIS Evans, Jeremy Clarkson and Paddy McGuinness have led tributes to the legendary female racing driver Sabine Schmitz after her death at the age of 51.
Presenter Chris Evans paid tribute to the driver following her death from cancer, describing her as “absolutely fearless”.
Speaking on his breakfast radio show, Chris Evans said: “It’s a shock to hear that she’s passed away. It’s really sad. She made me throw up!
“Do you remember? On Daytona, the best bit on my time in Top Gear was the ad, the trailer for Top Gear where we managed to put together because Sabine is such a good driver, we spent some time in southern California together and she taught me how to drive, how to actually make a car fly around Daytona.
“But very, very sad news that she’s passed away.”
At the time, Top Gear fans ridiculed Evans for throwing up during the speed lap in Daytona.
He added later after a song: “I know she’d been challenged with cancer for a while and has now passed away, she’d become more seriously ill for a short time.
“If you’ve never seen Sabine in action, just look up any of her YouTubes, she’s absolutely awesome. Absolutely fearless, but such a natural, such a natural. Already being so sadly missed.”
Paddy McGuinness was among stars celebrating the famous racing driver’s incredible talent and drive.
“She gave me pointers on how to drive a Ferrari very fast and hunted me down in a banger race. Brilliantly bonkers and an amazing human being! RIP the great Sabine Schmitz,” he wrote on Twitter.
Sabine was first seen on British TV taking ex-Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson around the ring taxi in 2002’s Jeremy Clarkson Meets the Neighbours.
She had also previously starred alongside the original Top Gear line up and appeared on the show from time to time from 2004 onwards.
Jeremy Clarkson tweeted: “Terrible news about Sabine Schmitz. Such a sunny person and so full of beans.”
He added in a separate post on Instagram: “Such a sad day. Sabine was a wonderful happy person. Quick as hell too.”
Top Gear host Chris Harris described the star as a “wonderful, powerful, hilarious person”.
“Rest in peace you wonderful, powerful, hilarious person,” he wrote in a tribute on Twitter, sharing a personal photo of the two of them.
Fellow presenter Andrew Flintoff also paid tribute, sharing an emoji of a face with a tear alongside a broken heart symbol.
Since 2006, Sabine co-presented a German motoring show called D Motor, frequently being set challenges behind the wheel for the show.
She became known as “the fastest taxi driver in the world” after being one of two drivers who circled the Nurburgring 20.8km race track in BMW M5 “ring taxis”.
She has also featured on other television shows, such as Fifth Gear.
Her name is a household name on and around the Nürburgring, after she became a professional driver in 1993.
The famous driver was diagnosed with cancer in 2017 and in summer 2020 the disease struck again, reported Autoblog.
The popular driver revealed her heartbreaking battle with cancer in a social media post explaining her absence from the Nürburgring Endurance Series with her team Frikadelli Racing.
“Dear friends of professional motor sport, many of you have probably wondered why I was on the list of participants on our Porsche in the NSL and then didn’t drive after all,” she wrote.
“I would like to provide enlightenment here, I think I owe it to my/our fans!
“Since the end of 2017, I have been fighting an extremely persistent cancer that has not been eliminated with the resources so far.
“It got a little better – but now it’s come back with full force.
“Now I have to draw all the strength and nerve to master the next powerful therapies … hoping something [good] will happen. So I say goodbye ‘probably’ for the first time this season.”
Paying tribute to the famous driver, legendary motorsport complex the Nürburgring tweeted: “The Nürburgring has lost its most famous female racing driver.
“Sabine Schmitz passed away far too early after a long illness. We will miss her and her cheerful nature. Rest in peace Sabine!”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
