Sabine Schmitz

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Sabine Schmitz (Sabine Reck while married), born May 14, 1969, is a former professional racing driver for BMW. She and her two elder sisters grew up in Nürburg within the Nürburgring, as children of a hotel and restaurant owning Schmitz family. Thus, she is also trained as Hotelfachfrau and Sommelière. Apart from her racing, she is popular for driving the BMW "Ring taxi" around the 20.8km long race track in an entertaining manner.

1 Career
2 Trivia
3 Quote
4 External links

[edit] Career

Growing up with occasional drives with the family car on the race track, all three sisters started racing, but only Sabine continued and collected victories. She won in CHC and VLN race events, the VLN endurance racing championship in 1998, and is the first female to win a major 24h race, the 24 Hours Nürburgring, in 1996 and 1997, all with a BMW M3 entered and co-driven by local veterean Johannes Scheid.

In 2006, she and Klaus Abbelen will drive the #97 Porsche 997 in the Nürburgring VLN endurance racing series, entered by Land Motorsport.

Since September of 2006, she hosts her own motoring show on German television, "D Motor" on DMAX.

[edit] Trivia

Her company, Nürburgring-based Sabine Schmitz Motorsport, offers advanced driver training and a "Ring Taxi" service for passengers. Her familiarity with the circuit has earned her the nicknames "Queen of the Nürburgring" and "the fastest taxi driver in the world".

Sabine is an occasional motorsport guest commentator, and is known for her gleefully dry descriptions of driving incidents.

In December 2004, Schmitz gained notoriety in the United Kingdom for gleefully showing-up BBC Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson by soundly beating his Nürburgring time in a Jaguar S-Type Diesel, and nearly matching it in a Ford Transit van in 2005.

Sabine was also the owner of a bar-restaurant in Nürburg which closed at the end of 2003, named the Fuchsröhre (Foxhole) after a track section.

Sabine also enjoys helicopter flying.

[edit] Quote

"Never enter Karussell when on the brakes! I have gone round there on the roof, I know what I'm talking about."
"The Nürburgring is like having sex in the 69 position."