zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Sabine Schmitz's Favorite Nürburgring Corners Should Be Renamed After Her
Sabine Schmitz's Favorite Nürburgring Corners Should Be Renamed After Her-October 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:59

Image for article titled Sabine Schmitz's Favorite Nürburgring Corners Should Be Renamed After Her

Tributes to have poured in from every sport of the motorsports and enthusiast communities since her death was announced yesterday. The undisputed Queen of the Nürburgring, Sabine thrilled us with her enthusiasm and expertise of the track she knew like home. Because it was literally her home.

Of all the forms of recognition Sabine deserves — and she deserves many — the bare minimum, the given, would be to name a corner after her on the track she understood like nobody else. And that’s exactly what fans are , thanks to an effort started by Dale Lomas. At the time I’m writing this, nearly 13,700 signatures have been recorded.

The question then, I suppose, becomes which corner should be bestowed with Sabine’s name. The exact number of corners on the Nordschleife , since it’s heavily dependent on what someone considers to be a corner in the first place. A popular, conservative analysis finds 73 turns; on the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s said to be 170. Either way, we’re presented with many choices.

But maybe this isn’t a choice anyone should be making, because Sabine’s already made it for us. In an interview with from all the way back in 2008, she shared her favorite stretch of the Green Hell:

AR: Is there any part of the track that you always find difficult to get right, alternatively which part of the track do you most look forward to every lap?

SS: Yes, the GP Circuit. I hate it! The most exciting part I love very much is Schwedenkreuz and Fuchsröhre.

For those without a meticulously notated mental map of the Nordschleife (that includes yours truly), Schwedenkreuz is the first extremely fast section of the circuit you encounter on a lap. It’s a long and irregularly-shaped left-hand sweeper, festooned with bumps that can jettison you off course at exceptional speed if you’re not careful. From there you descend into the Aremberg hairpin, which, depending on how you navigated Schwedenkreuz, could make or break your lap.

Schwedenkreuz, at left, and Fuchsröhre

And then there’s Fuchsröhre, or Foxhole. I’ve never been lucky enough to drive the Nürburgring in real life, but in my hundreds of laps in racing simulators, this is always the part where I clench my teeth the hardest. It’s not only quick, but exceptionally steep, going both down and up, and there’s really no runoff on either side. I can understand why Sabine prefers it — she did get a kick out of , after all.

It probably goes without saying, then, that I think either Schwedenkreuz or Fuchsröhre — or both — should be named to honor Sabine in some way. Maybe an aspect of them, maybe the whole. I don’t really care how it’s done, just that it is. Because every single time someone braves those corners in the future and inevitably feels the goosebumps, there should be a clear reminder of the woman who did it better than anyone — and looked forward to every single second of it.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
The partially North Carolina-based squad has determined that after , it needs to mix things up a little. The team’s firebrand has been following an abysmal 2023 season which saw the team score just four points-paying finishes. The team’s , where scored a fourth-place finish, but that season too...
Oct 30, 2024
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Fellow nerds, get ready to open your wallets, because I’ve found what may be the greatest store of all time. With designs from Formula 1 teams like , you’re sure to find something that fits your particular nostalgic niche. I’d like to introduce you to Racing Retro. I first...
Oct 30, 2024
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
If you follow racing in the U.S., you probably already know about the . Most of the episodes are too much of a distraction to put on as background noise while you work, but a couple of recent entries in his series have been working incredibly well for me....
Oct 30, 2024
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
If you listen to Formula 1 or local officials from Las Vegas and Clark County, you’d probably think November’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was a success. Some sources estimated that the city of Las Vegas made over $1 billion in revenue from the event — but there were...
Oct 30, 2024
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
Name a car from the early 1960s built by a famed racing driver with curvy, lightweight aluminum bodywork, a big American engine, and a reputation for being unruly and fast as all hell. Your first thought was probably the famed Shelby Cobra, did you know there was a who...
Oct 30, 2024
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
In another unsurprising example of motorsport’s inhospitable mindset toward hiring competent women, the Racing team has announced a new partnership with Ava Rose, a literal , who will... engage with fans? Share knowledge about technology? “Navigate the cutting edge of innovation to create positive change” (whatever that means)? I...
Oct 30, 2024
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved