Sabine Schmitz's Fans are Asking the Nürburgring to Name a Corner After Her

Just after word had gotten out that Sabine Schmitz had lost her battle against cancer, a well-known community revolving around all things Nürburgring came up with an idea to honor the Queen's accomplishments. A petition was made by the people over at "Bridge to Gantry" for the Nürburgring to name a corner of the Nordschleife after Sabine.

The initial goal was to have 10,000 people sign that petition so that the governing body of the race track would acknowledge the idea and put it into practice. After just two days, 25,000 people had signed it already, and today that number stands at 46,000 that believe that this is the best way of honoring her name. In the meantime, their voices have been heard, and the Nürburgring has already made an official statement.

Their press release notes that: "The Nürburgring has lost its most famous racer. The overwhelming response and worldwide sympathy confirm how important Sabine was and is for the Nürburgring. Therefore there is no question that she will be given a special honor at the Nürburgring". Following up on that idea, they did note the fact that the ex-racers family should be given some space and time for mourning.

According to their official statement, the plan is to wait for some time before moving on with this idea. When the time will be right, the topic will be discussed with Sabine's family, and representatives of various racing series at the 'Ring to establish the outcome. Some fans expressed their concerns regarding the possibility of the track management avoiding renaming one of the corners, and opt for a more unimpressive option.

The community over at "Bridge to Gantry" seems to be the main voice of the fans, and they've stated that: "Sabine's personality, hard-work, and talent deserves to be part of the Nürburgring's story for the years to come. She was a driver, not a founder, not an architect. A corner name would be the ultimate honor; not just a brass plaque on a corner of a building!"

As the idea gains more and more traction by the day, people are already discussing which one of the 154 corners would be the best one to choose. One of the better suggestions was that the "Hohenrain Chicane" should be renamed to the "Sabine S". Others have suggested the main straight, as it marks the start and the end to all Nordschleife laps. There are several good ideas out there, and it would be a shame if this idea won't be put into practice.

While some people are still dwelling on the idea of renaming a corner after Sabine, some have even gone as far as proposing that the whole racetrack should be named after her. Also, looking back to her Ford Transit Van record attempt, some voices have suggested that Ford should build a performance version of the new Transit and call it the SSV, which would be short for Sabine Schmitz Van. Either way, she will be missed!