VALE SABINE SCHMITZ (1969-2021)

Farewell to the Queen of the Nürburgring

IT’S A RARE PLEASURE to see somebody doing what they were absolutely meant to do. For most of us, life has a way of making those moments vanishingly fleet, but for anybody who spent much time at the Nürburgring, it was virtually guaranteed. Sabine Schmitz was that person, emerging from the Ring Taxi with a smile broader than many of the paying customers, ready to take the next trio of nervous blokes on what would likely be the most exciting eight-and-ahalf minutes of their lives.

The Schmitz family have long been part of the very fabric of Nürburg. The local economy is lubricated by petrochemicals and beer, and Getränke Schmitz, founded by Günter Schmitz back in 1956, had wrapped up the latter, selling wholesale and delivering beverages to events. The family also owned the Hotel am Tiergarten in the centre of the village with its basement bar and restaurant, the famous Pistenklause.