Last March, the Nurburgring's most famous female racing driver, Sabine Schmitz, passed away after a long bout with cancer. No doubt, fans of both the track and the “Queen of the Nurburgring” were shocked and saddened by the news. It also led to people asking for the Nurburgring to name a corner after Schmitz.

While some brushed off the possibility of that happening, it seems the Nurburgring has indeed named a corner after Schmitz. The official social media accounts of the Nurburgring made the announcement and called it the Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve. Which corner is that? Well, the Sabine-Schmitz-Kurve is the very first corner of the Nordschleife.

Nurburgring names a corner after late Sabine Schmitz image

For those not too familiar, several corners of the Nurburgring have different names. The most popular would have to be the carousel and flugplatz. Then there's the unofficially dubbed “YouTube corner”, but we'll let you find that out for yourself. But the first corner of the Nordschleife, a sharp left-hander that leads downhill is also a very memorable part of the track. However, it has remained unnamed for the longest time. Officially naming it after Sabine Schmitz is no doubt a great tribute to the Queen of the Nurburgring.

Schmitz herself grew up near the corner she was named after. A few meters away from turn one at Nordschleife lies the German town of Nurburg, Schmitz home town.

An official inauguration will take place at the six-hour race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series on September 11, 2021. Over the years, Schmitz has been synonymous with the Nurburgring. Apart from setting over 20,000 laps, she's one of the first women to win the 24 Hour of Nurburgring endurance race. But with a corner named after her, she will continue to do so forever.

nordschleife nurburgring sabine schmitz