INTERVIEW: Queen of the Nurburgring

Top Gear has announced it will return to our screens with a new format next Monday (May 30).

Filmed in nine countries over eight months with more than 12,000km racked up in the process, the world’s favourite car show is now hosted by British broadcaster Chris Evans.

Also including US TV star Matt LeBlanc and former Irish F1 team boss owner Eddie Jordan, the three main co-hosts will be joined by YouTube star Chris Harris, competition winner Rory Reid and German racer Sabine Schmitz.

Out of the six new presenters, Schmitz is no stranger to the world-famous car show. The 46-year old 24 hours of Nurburgring race winner and former ‘Ring Taxi’ driver taught former presenter Jeremy Clarkson to lap the fearsome circuit in less than 10 minutes.

On setting a time of 9:59, Schmitz famously remarked: “I tell you something, I do that lap time in a van” – which she did, humiliating Clarkson by setting a time 47 seconds quicker.

Born and bred on the Nordschleife with her three sisters, today the new presenter of Top Gear still lives less than five minutes away from the road circuit that’s also known as the Green Hell.

Motoring.com.au caught up with Schmitz to find out more about the ‘Queen of the Nurburgring’ – one of the fastest presenters in the BBC car show’s history – and to find out what the new re-booted Top Gear might have in store for us.

From your performance on previous episodes of Top Gear alone, do you consider yourself the fastest presenter (aside from the Stig) in the new TG line-up?

Sabine Schmitz: Ha! Oh, I hope so, but you’ll have to wait and find out on the show.

m: What is it like growing up and living beside the Nurburgring?

S: The best thing is in the winter you have the silence and in the summer we have action, action, action.

There’s always something going on at the Nurburgring, always something to see and always the coolest cars in the world right outside your door, because all the car factories are testing at the Nordschleife so we know all the new cars long before they’re released.

m: But what of the recent controversy over who owns it, or the disastrous attempt to turn it into one giant theme park?

S: We’ve had good times and bad times, but times are finally getting better now the Nurburgring is sold to a Russian... which is not a good thing. They gave it away for nothing, more or less, but now the deal is done we have to make the best of it.

m: If it was ever offered to you would you have been interested in buying it if you had the money?

S: The Nurburgring itself? Yes, straight away, but not the concrete buildings, or anything else attached. And you can forget the rollercoaster.

m: You’re highly successful in a male-dominated industry – what have been some of the challenges you’ve had to overcome on the road to becoming a successful racer?

S: It’s not a big thing really, because I’m respected and that’s because I’ve won so many races but at the beginning of my racing career it was quite funny.

The guys were so upset because when they would go home and say “I’ve come second to SABINE!” But do that 10 times a year and they get used to it, eventually, especially when I raced for BMW – we won almost every race.

m: What do you prefer – race cars or road cars?

S: Race cars all day long. The good thing on a race car is you can adjust every little thing, you can to work around a problem. The big fun with a racing car is you can really work with your car and develop a winning package.

With modern road cars you can’t even change the suspension. Maybe there’s a button that you can make the suspension a little bit softer or stiffer, whatever. My boyfriend has a Ferrari F12 and you can’t do anything on that, not even take the suspension out and put a new one in there.

In a race car you are your own boss – you can adjust it, change tyres and go have fun.

m: Aside from the Nurburgring – which doesn’t count because it’s a toll road – what’s your favourite race circuit?

S: Ha! Tricky but I’d have to say the Road America circuit in the States. It’s a very long track that goes through the forest. In fact, it feels very close to the Nordschleife. Perhaps that’s why I like it.

Another favourite is the 24 Hour Daytona in January. It's so strange – you race on steep banking you can barely walk up, incredible.

m: What’s your favourite engine for racing and road use?

S: I like eight cylinders. I’m not so happy with turbo engines – I don’t like the sound and I don’t like the suspension on a turbo car because they’re normally too soft, for traction.

Porsche turbo is a good example. It’s great when you have a race from the traffic lights, but they have to make the suspension soft in the rear for good traction.

m: And electric vehicles?

S: I have tested a couple of electric vehicles [for D Motors, a German car show Schmitz worked for] but the range wasn’t very good and they were so heavy, so they need a little more development.

But there are some good cars. In fact, I tested one that was really quick on the Nordschleife but it ran out of charge half way round. That wasn’t very impressive… we had to call a taxi.

m: What’s been your highlight so far this year?

S: The highlight of this year has definitely been the Daytona 24 – it was a really big deal to go there as a European race team. We really didn’t have any clue, so we needed some help from teams from there, but we managed to finish the race with a brand-new car, brand-new team. So it was really a very good result.

m: What are you most looking forward to?

S: That has to be the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. Like Daytona we’re still developing the car and team and we’re finding out the ‘Ring is very hard on the new car – much, much harder than Daytona – so we’ll really have to do a good job to ensure the car lasts the distance.

The rest of the year we’re competing in the VLN which is long-distance races, also held at the Nurburgring. I can’t wait.

m: Do you still live near to the Nurburgring?

S: Of course. We live close to the Nordschleife – five minutes with a trailer… I’ve timed it.

Who’s funnier: Jeremy Clarkson or Chris Evans?

S: They’re both crazy. Chris is very funny, when he can talk that is, but he really can’t talk when he’s sitting beside me in the car. He tries to talk but sometimes he gets strawberries in his throat [referring to the car sickness episode in which Schmitz made the broadcaster vomit].

m: Will you ever come Down Under to drive a real car like a Commodore or Falcon – before they're extinct?

S: Oh yes please. I’m dreaming about this since I was a little girl.

m: That sounds like sarcasm!

S: Ha! Actually, I love the Holden Commodore. I have a friend actually, who bought one over the internet and it arrived and it was, in my humble opinion, a piece of sh*t. It broke down all the time, but it wasn’t the car’s fault – we think it had been damaged in the container.

But I’d really like to drive a well-sorted one, especially since I love V8 Supercars and the tracks they race on. It really is pure racing. Find me a good V8 Supercar team and I’ll come Down Under and drive. Come on, let’s make it happen.

m: When you’re not racing or presenting, do you ever like to get your hands dirty in the garage?

S: Sure, we have a workshop where we keep customer cars and yeah, if I break something I have to fix it myself, but I do need some help from the guys. I change all my tyres too but, to be honest, I’m not too good at technical things.

Of course I repair my farm vehicles, like my tractor and haymaker and other equipment around the farm. There’s always lots to repair and I don’t wait for any man to help me!

m: What’s your daily driver?

S: It’s just a Ford pick-up [Ranger] but it’s enough for me.

m: The Queen of the Nurburgring drives a ute?

S: Ha, no not just the Ford. I also have what I call my housewife’s taxi, my little Porsche. It’s a good car, a 911 (997) GT3 RS. I wanted the new 991 RS but they sold out too quickly, so I’ll stick with my old car.

m: What about a GT3 RS 4.0-litre? We've heard they’re handy around the Nurburgring.

S: Nah, you drive them and rev them hard and they need a new engine. The 3.8-litre is far better. I like to drive my cars hard all the time.

The new season of Top Gear will air on BBC Knowledge from Monday, May 30 at 8:30pm AEST.