The Nurburgring, or the Green Hell, as it is nicknamed is a 12.5-mile racing circuit in western Germany. It is undoubtedly iconic in racing circles and reminds us of a far more daring era of motorsport. When there is not testing and racing going on, it is open daily as a tollroad.
One of the more interesting tourist attractions for visitors is the “Ring Taxi.” Rather than taking your daily or rent-a-car onto the circuit, for 225 Euro, BMW offers a hot lap of the circuit with factory drivers who know all the intricacies. One such former Ring Taxi driver is known as “the Queen of the Ring,” Sabine Schmitz. She is also known around the world as a successful sports car racer and host of the BBC’s Top Gear after Clarkson and company departed.
In the early 2010s, if you were fortunate enough, by the luck of the draw, Sabine would be your driver for a very spirited tour of tire squealing and G-forces. Sabine grew up in the town, where her mother, Ursula, still operates the Teirgarten Hotel. As one of the few hotels right at the circuit, the list of names of occupants over the years reads like a Motorsports Hall of Fame — form Ascari to Schumacher…
Sabine began racing in her late teens and has been very successful — she holds the lap record for a woman at the famed circuit. So just imagine the thrill of getting to ride with a driver of Sabine’s stature, combined with her level of intimacy with the circuit. The affable German takes some tourists for a ride they will most likely never forget.
