Sabine Schmitz's Nurburgring Van CHALLENGE | Top Gear - Part 2 

DanielJ_00 Very unfortunate news. R.I.P and condolence to her family. 🙏

Amazing woman.

Very sad indeed. A truly great driver. Rest in peace.

Yea it is!! Rest In Peace!

Very sad Rust in Peace Queen of the green hell

What a great personality RIP

RIP Sabine, absolutely gutted :'(

How awfully sad. What a lovely girl. The best Top Gear item they ever did.

Just heard the news. Terribly sad. She was lovely. R.I.P. Sabine.

How is it that those who are full of zest with life be taken far too early? Sabine is one of a kind all of her appearances in Top Gear is such a joy and pleasure.

That's great to hear.

Right decision but it would be perfect if all the circuit was intitled to Sabine

That's amazing to hear! I hadn't heard that until now, just cane back to enjoy her driving around the ring after doing it myself endlessly I'm Asseto Corsa

That is fantastic!

@@neriozulberti1492 Huh?

I think she was shouting at the van, not the viper. But your version is funnier.

@@KimonFrousios but she do shout at motorbikes :D

She was a legend in driving. Sadly she lived in times, where female drivers didnt get any respect

Screaming at the motorcycles and porsche's to get out of the way. Priceless!

Damn this comment hits hard in the feels. RIP Sabine.

Right in the fuckin feels there man

Best comment.

Amen

I really felt her loss when I read your comment.

Me, sadly. May her soul rest in peace.

Yes 😞😟😔😢.

I watched it 1 hr before i heard the news. I didn't know she was ill either. A real shock.

Sadly yes 😞

Yes sadly too, a lovely lady, RIP

For may to say she belonged on the ring in a honorary way says a lot cause he fuckin hates the Nurembergring

If you're driving so slow you're not so much into racing anyway and probably didnt knew her back then.

It’s happened to many men when I hire a Transit and hit the motorway. Nothing like that van driving feeling.

Me

Had to. Such a sad loss.

Yep, just back to watch some of her epic ness once more.

Me too. Such a sad loss. RIP Sabine. 😢

Came to watch her epicness.. watched with a tear in my eye.. what an amazing woman.

Yeah, she loved her job and it showed. In my book that is sucess.

Well said. Felt the same

Monkey Man, same here. You describe Sabine perfectly for me. So much charisma, humility and humour.

Many try most crash and die

I have been racing for some time now and can tell you slower can be faster. It is this concept that people don't understand, hence the saying "slow is fast".

Actually they can, but only once!

ralph gull “wisdom sentence” lol

*van

A diesel van.

and a diesel van at that.

I feel the same way. Celebrities are not any more important than any one else, but she was radiant and charming who brightened up this dreary world. I love the way she mischievously lifts her eyebrows at 5:48 in this video. Without even meeting her, you can tell she would lift your spirits on any occasion.

@@gregoryjames1902 I don't get sad at celebrity deaths either most times but this hurt. It doesn't tell you in this video, but I believe she drove Clarkson's Jaguar around the circuit in around 8 mins. RIP you beautiful charming lady.

I think it is because she was real. I feel the same way.

@@mglsite That is it she was a damn good driver that found fame through that skill,celebrities LOOK for fame by acting most of the time

Sabine Schmitz was no vacuous 'celebrity', she was a LEGEND in her own time. RIP Queen of the Nurburgring.

That's exactly right my friend......it is EXTREMELY difficult for a person who is famous to not have an online enemy or someone who doesn't particularly like them..... But I'm yet to find one single comment from a person who doesn't like her or have a positive word to say about her 😊 What a character.....what charisma..... you are sorely missed Sabine,from all over the world 😘😊

There's simply nothing bad to say about her, such a wonferful person. 😍😭

Even in the worst days of Top Gear's presenter turmoil, she lifted the whole thing - what a wonderful person

AND a std spec transit van too !!!!

to me she has a mysteriously very charismatic aura...

Have you noticed... They cut the 'driven by a girl' part out.

@@sahhull 5:19

@@sahhull yes I suspect it’s the woke pc brigade at the BBC at it again thinking the remark is sexist. Their too dim to realise that Richard’s joke is on the all male posers in their Porsche’s and on their motorbikes certainly not on Sabine or women.

@@sahhull Some people probably cry sexism for that statement. :D

@@sahhull No they didn´t 5:19

It also helps that we have those three crazy commentators. Jeremy Clarkson even wrote a few books such as "The world according to Clarkson" and it's HILARIOUS. I laughed my ass off through every chapter because only "Jezza" Clarkson could write stuff like this: "In a recent survey to the find the happiest people in the world, the super smug Swiss came out on top. Just 3.6% of the population realized that having a punctual bus service and someone else's teeth are not the be all and end all of life and said they were dissatisfied with their lot." Damn. I was tired after reading only two chapters because I was giggling uncontrollably through the book.

largol33t1 LOL I'm currently reading that book LOL

largol33t1 how much that book cost and where can i find it plz?

ande andeande Its a few years old now, best bet is Ebay or Amazon, I'm currently reading how one night, while wearing Russian surplus night vision goggles and trying to shoot Foxie Woxie, he accidentally shot and killed David Beckham...well... a chicken called David Beckham LOL.

:D ok thx

+Pulsar77 AND she speaks better German as well!

+Pulsar77 Apparently so, she's one of the new presenters.

Lol!

Actually she has a strong dialect / accent from the german mountain-region she is coming from (the Eifel).

May: Ooh cock.

You will be pleased to find out about Hannelore Werner, Germany's first female Race driver. She once removed a fender mid-race on the track and bare handed, because it was blocking her wheel. She still got fifth place. She once said that in a training phase she only gave half of what she was able to because some of the men were badmouthing her. When the race came, she gave 100% and schooled them. One of them quit afterwards, I think.

@@Far1988 Nice story and all but that won't bring Sabine back to life 😥

This is exactly the inspiration she has frequently said she wanted to be. It's always sad when someone wonderful dies but it's nice to know people like you are her legacy.

@@alexthurner43 you're right, stories like that keep her ALIVE.

So glad she had that impact on you.. we need more of you in the world, Sabine lives on. More women in motorsport is what we all want, guys and girls. I think she would be beaming with pride right now!! :)

@@cypsoon have some class

@@eoinfitzsimons you got right i should use other words. No offence to anyone

RIP but you should meet more German people, they are usually hilarious in my experience.

German humor is generally drier and almost never personally offensive, but they are very funny. As an american some of my favorite standups and sketch comedy types are German.

How I loved this woman a fantastic personality

Being overtaken on the Nurburgring by Sabine Schmitz absolves him. I wouldn't be ashamed if I got overtaken by her driving a Prius.

+Akshay Mathur She could overtake me in a Daihatsu Midget for all I care. Being overtaken by Sabine is a bigger honor than any kiss on the first date.

Maybe he was chasing the car in front of him or checking the track out first.

Akshay Mathur Assuming the biker didn't already end his life before finding out it was her or before this episode aired on Top Gear UK.

Max Maude They never had a dignity

Such a sweet thing to say

me too

@@Sennaxm71 Just seeing the face of Richard Hammond as the passenger. I think I'd have been in the same boat though. But, what an experience that must have been.

@@neilbowers6956 Indeed, it must have been great, I consider them to be very privileged to have spent any time with her, let alone go round the Ring with her giving it the beans, so jealous lol

Me too. Not only was she a very talented racing driver, but she had such an uplifting happy personality, and was such a beautiful lady in every way. RIP Sabine

Same. That's why I came to watch this moment again.

Clearly.

Yep. This was a iconic ride. The fastest Transit driver in the world. RIP.

Yes as soon as i heard i came to have another look at this amazing feat by an amazing lady, RIP Sabine, you lived a life.

The best Stig that never was.

The Stigette

I dont think that wouldve been fair to them tho Theyll have to drive hypercars to beat her in a regular family hatchback

@@Ayeshteni How do you know?

@@Ayeshteni - Ms Stig or Mrs. Stig.

Well said. horrible disease. Some people are just so unlucky. It's really not fair.. but she lived her life to the fullest!! a truly remarkable woman!! And we were there to witness it 💖💖 r.i.p.

She wasn't engineered, she was built by angels.

@@hb1338 Vorsprung durch angelic

Awesome lady

I'm afraid we can't rebuild her, we don't have the Technologie anymore.

Its been up for 12 years; its going nowhere.

A guy did it with a diesel Citroen AX

Race cars can do it easily. The Viper wasn't even challenged as the draft car. But I can still imagine the driver laughing about how fast it did have to go to keep pace with the van. The background of this challenge is that Jeremy wanted to run the Ring in a diesel to show that it was at least a better diesel than most, so first he had her as the guide, then kept running until he finally broke under 10 minutes. He went back to Sabine to gloat, and she responded that she could do 10 minutes in a VAN. So they gave her the shot at it.

I don’t know what your talking about but the Porsche 919 Hybrid completed it in nearly half the time (5:19:545). That’s a "race car"... It did that...

​@@hayzarx2018 it's also like 18 years ahead of the 3rd gen Transit's time, but tbf, a road legal R34 GTR could also do faster than 10mins. Comparing vans to vans, the newest VW Transporter driven by Rob Austin finally beat Sabine's time I think 2yrs ago?

@@brianng9765 only by 10 seconds

It's sad. Why do the good ones go early?

@@karlrudd8914 I guess as an example and as a reminder so we don’t forget who we are and what we are supposed to do on the planet. Find your passion. Find your own way of life. The true meaning. Be humble and try to be a good person. Every single day.

@@soulrider69able Damn straight. I just wish the brightest flame could burn a bit longer

To put thing into perspective between production cars and factory race cars...I reckon that Porsche hybrid which holds the record could get into the 4 minutes if it had 2 more gears in the box, it spent far too long red lining...Niki Lauda said nobody could do it in under 7 minutes, shows how quick technology evolved?

@@williamrae9954 Tbf at the time Niki was the only person to ever lap the ring in under 8 minutes and he did that in an F1 car, which were eventually deemed to be too dangerous for the Ring (and at the time they certainly were). It was assumed back then that even if a car could be built that was capable of lapping that quickly, it would be too dangerous to attempt it.

They also said that when Sabine did the 9:20 in the Jaguar, the Top Gear film crew cannot keep up with her to the point they need to bring in Jaguar's test driver in a chase car to get close. What she did was crazy!

I always thought that the only thing that might have made that visual better was if she had done this in a passenger Transit with little dummy children, so that the bikes and Porsches would have been passed at speed by a soccer mom screaming in a German accent to get out of her way...

@@Pupda Passenger Transit is heavier, due to the windows and seats etc. so probably the time would have been slower.

@@Pupda isn't that the Transit Tourneo? Or am i wrong? XP

@@welshwolfie8806 No you aren't it's just the 1999 model.

@@VramanNoodles hmm, for some reason, i always thought the Transits are the ones with the empty loadspace and the Tourneos had the passenger seats (like Minibuses and van based taxis and stuff) then the Transit/Tourneo Connect was just the small, car based version :P

so young, so unfair

Same bro

Must be the rain....

Same here, and I never feel anything when people I dont know passes away.. 😥

germans have a great sense of humour. you're just not allowed to laugh in germany

@@cvspvr Its a government thing...

heartbreaking :(

Oh man it is very true............. I missed her so much I met her once but not directly she was in her Bmw and i was on my cbr 600 at the Rings parking lot

I like how you think!=_)

Well said. RIP Sabine.

I think Sabine would like your comment.

Nicely put.

@Gromm: you mean shut up? :p

Sad story

tbh they are always passing me at the motorway

Amen to that - what a wonderful person :(

Doing that in just 10 minutes in a freaking VAN is just mind-boggling. Farewell Sabine. I will miss you.

@@jamesfletcher1439 You mean Eddy?

Very sad, that she so early died is. rest in peace?

That would have been amazing. Top Gear was just an awesome show back then too.

Fully get you on this... It's hit us quite hard as a car community because she was real, and she was a true petrolhead herself.

Vermissen, aber niemals vergessen. Race in Peace Queen of the Nordschleife ♥

Here is the Original Semitic Text. HERE is The REAL Savior YaH The Heavenly FATHER HIMSELF was Who they Crucified for our sins and “HERE IS THE PROOF” From the Ancient Semitic Scroll: "Yad He Vav He" is what Moses wrote, when Moses asked YaH His Name (Exodus 3) Ancient Semitic Direct Translation Yad - "Behold The Hand" He - "Behold the Breath" Vav - "Behold The NAIL"

@@Praise___YaH dude go away

@@Praise___YaH You need to calm down

Unfortunately, cancer spared no one. Not even Sabine, and I really hate admitting it

+TheSillypig Only thing I can think of that comes close was something that happened back in the 70s during a NASCAR race at Talladega (big, high-banked, high speed track). Late in the race, and a driver (I've forgotten who) was leading with David Pearson running second. At the time, Pearson was a heavy smoker-in fact, they actually wired a cigarette lighter into his car. Our hero is leading, driving as hard as he can. They go into a turn and he looks in the mirror to see where Pearson is-and he realizes that Pearson is lighting a cigarette. With _both_ hands. He said he knew right then that when Pearson was ready, he was going to pass him and he couldn't stop it.

The fact that she's effectively the Empress of the Nordschliefe might take some of the sting away.

If I am a biker, I would have shot myself. 😆

@Farina Marcini Of course, women like Michele, Sabine, Vicki Butler-Henderson and Danica Patrick are my fave.

Farhan Ahmad Tajuddin Danica Patrick? Are you serious? She’s absolute garbage and a cheat.

she's been competing in the Nürburgring 24h alone for at least ten years now, not to mention hundreds of races in the series this race is part of (called VLN)

Additionaly she drives the Ringtaxi at the Nürburgring (BMW M5 & M3)

Shes said another time it might be closer to 30,000 times.

the 15K would be 10 yrs ago... so shes added another few months..lol

@JSavic from what I understand she works for either the track itself or for a company... plus I don't think the drivers in the 24h need to pay the £5 lol Edit; apparently the taxi is a separate company owned by Schmitz where they pretty much just give hot laps all day for €270

MrSpiderman1321 😂😂😂😂😂

U meant diesel heads.

@@tszailer no

+Scott Manley Still no.

+Scott Manley Between her, Chris Harris, and what I've seen of Rory Reid, I'm actually cautiously optimistic about the new show now. It's the other three that I'm still worried about.

lol, scott, i didnt know u were enthusiastic abt top gear !!

+Scott Manley it's been confirmed... one of the best additions. Why they got Eddy Jordon though, ruins everything. The English get it wrong many many times.

How are you everywhere?