Road & Track
Sabine Schmitz Ruled the Nürburgring
Racing is hard work, but you would’ve never known it to watch Sabine Schmitz drive. She dove into every corner with the gleeful chuckle of a child playing peekaboo. “Where is the apex? Where is it? There it is!” Shriek, giggle, dimples, and a big grin. It looked so easy when she did it, so fun. No glowering race face for Schmitz; she loved driving and loved the Nürburgring, and it was so obvious that it made everyone who saw her love them too. It’s one thing to be talented at something and take pleasure in doing it well; it’s another level altogether to make everyone around you feel that same joy. When Schmitz died of cancer at age 51, it resonated as a personal loss to people who had never met her. That’s how bright her light was, how far it shone.