Former racing driver Sabine Schmitz, known as the “Queen of the Nürburgring”, has died at 51yo of cancer. In 1996, Schmitz became the first and only female to win the famous 24 hours race at the German track – and she did it twice. Her popularity grew after featuring on Top Gear, first as a guest in 2004 when she told then host Jeremy Clarkson that she could beat his time around the track in a Ford Transit Van (spoiler: she missed it by 8 seconds…), and then as a presenter. “Such a sunny person and so full of beans,” Clarkson tweeted.