The moment you are dubbed the regent of something by the majority, you’ve made it. There is no questioning the respect, you have earned it. There is no doubt in your abilities, you have proved them. In racing, earning that position is a monumental tasking that few truly have achieved. Richard Petty, the King of NASCAR…seven-time Cup champion, a record only recently tied up. 200 race victories total, seven Daytona 500 victories, and that’s before we speak of his absolutely dominating 1967 season. Drag racing? That’ll be up for debate, but you can toss it up between Don Garlits, Kenny Bernstein, John Force, and many others. King of Formula One? Again, there will be heavy debate, but if Senna isn’t within the top three, it would be a stunner.

Note one thing about that first paragraph…there are a lot of kings. And that’s because, in reality, women have had a hell of a time just getting into competition, let alone any respect in the game. Shirley Muldowney showed up on the strip ready for war in the 1970s. Danica Patrick already had Indy credit when she made the move to NASCAR, and say what you will about her career, but it takes fortitude to endure some of the wrecks she faced, just to come back the next round for more.

Sabine Schmitz…the Queen of the Nürburgring. That’s a title among itself. We aren’t talking so much about the Grand Prix circuit. We mean the Nordschliefe, the Green Hell. She had two wins at the 24 Hours Nürburgring (1996, 1997) and a third place finish co-driving with Klaus Abbelen in 2008. She was one of the “Ring Taxi” drivers who would showcase the track to tourists brave enough to get in the car with her. She was a well-known in the world of automotive television, having appeared on the German show D Motor, as well as filling in as a motorsports commentator on occasion or her occasional stop by Fifth Gear. 

But for many, the introduction to the talented, vicious lady racer was on TopGear, where she first somehow taught Clarkson to drive around the ring in a Jaguar, then proceeded to scare the hell out of Hammond while flinging a Ford Transit around in the pursuit of a sub-10 minute lap time. Compared to the boys’ club that TopGear was often lambasted for being, Sabine came across as friendly and cheerful…up until she got behind the wheel. All of that went out of the window and you saw a professional at work, hell-bent on victory, whatever that meant at that moment. We chose to show the Transit challenge because it showcased her at her best: against odds, driving the van like a demon, working the worst vehicle choice ever for every last percentage of capability, not giving up until the race was over. It speaks to her as a person and as a racer on many levels.

Rest easy, Sabine.