Top Gear star and racing driver Sabine Schmitz has died at the age of 51.
Known as the "Queen of the Nürburgring", she revealed last year that she'd been dealing with a rare and "extremely persistent" form of cancer since 2017.
"The Nürburgring has lost its most famous female racing driver," the German race track confirmed in a statement.
"Sabine Schmitz passed away far too early after a long illness. We will miss her and her cheerful nature. Rest in peace Sabine!"
Schmitz won the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in both 1996 and 1997 before driving a van around the track on Top Gear in 2004.
She went on to be a regular on the BBC Show before joining Chris Evans as a co-host in 2016. This Sunday's episode will be dedicated to her.
"Sabine was a beloved member of the Top Gear family and presenting team since 2016, having first appeared on the show in 2004, and everyone who had the pleasure of working with her on the team is in shock at this news," BBC producer Clare Pizey said.
"Sabine radiated positivity, always wore her cheeky smile no matter how hard things got - and was a force of nature for women drivers in the motoring world.
"Like everyone else who knew her, we will truly miss her - Sabine really was one of a kind. Our thoughts are with her partner Klaus, who was always by her side and who we welcomed to Dunsfold many times, and her family in Germany."
"Terrible news about Sabine Schmitz," former host Jeremy Clarkson wrote in leading tributes. "Such a sunny person and so full of beans."
Pioneer, champion, Queen of the Nurburgring
Sabine Schmitz was a unique, much-loved and cherished member of our sport's family, and a force of nature for inspiring a new generation of motorsport enthusiasts
Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time pic.twitter.com/nwrLyZvXla
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 17, 2021
She gave me pointers on how to drive a Ferrari very fast and hunted me down in a banger race. Brilliantly bonkers and an amazing human being! RIP the great Sabine Schmitz. pic.twitter.com/awtbOnMD90
— Paddy McGuinness 💙 (@PaddyMcGuinness) March 17, 2021
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