First woman to win the Nürburgring 24 Hours (first time in 1996), Sabine Schmitz had to reach the starring “by hand” of the famous Top Gear television show.
Her first appearance took place in the fifth episode of the fourth season, with the German driver “training” Jeremy Clarkson so that he could cover the German circuit in less than 10 minutes driving a Jaguar S-Type with a diesel engine.
In this segment, Sabine Schmitz stated that she could navigate the circuit in less than 10 minutes at the controls of a commercial van, having at that moment “sentenced” the patterns in which she would return to the program and the episode that would lead her to stardom.
The Ford Transit “challenge”
A season later, the German returned to Top Gear with one objective: to prove that she could cover the Nürburgring in less than 10 minutes at the controls of a van.
The “weapon” that was given to him was a Ford Transit with a Diesel engine and despite the several attempts and the masterful driving practiced by the German, it was not possible to reach the coveted time. In any case, the truth is that that moment was etched in the memory of fans of the show (and not only) and helped “catapult” the successful pilot to stardom.
After that segment, which is already 16 years old, Sabine Schmitz even joined the team of the famous British television program, helping to “cement” her popularity even more among the entire petrolhead community.