Photo: Ford
August is Women’s Month in South Africa, and Ford Motor Company is marking the occasion by celebrating three women who have blazed trails in the world of motorsport. All throughout the month, the automaker shines a spotlight on rally driver Elvéne Coetzee-Vonk, Mustang Shelby aficionado Paige Lindenberg, and WesBank V8 Supercar pioneer Clare Vale.
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Elvéne Coetzee-Vonk
Photo: Ford
Racing is in Elvéne’s blood — her father, Kassie Coetzee, is a legend in South African motorsports. She’s more than taken up his mantle since debuting in 2006, gaining experience in cross country racing as the navigator for the likes of Tjaardt Conradie and Etienne Louwrens and winning the Class A7 championship in 2009 with partner Evan Hutchison.
In 2011, Elvéne came onboard as the navigator for Leeroy Poulter. Over their six-year partnership, the duo earned the 2014 and 2016 SA National Rally Overall championship with Elvéne winning the navigator’s title in 2015. Today, she’s a member of the Ford Castrol Cross Country Team and looking forward to resuming the 2020 season Aug. 14-15 at the Bronkhorstspruit 400.
“Together with the Ford Castrol Cross Country squad I hope to contribute more silverware to the cabinet,” said Coetzee-Vonk.
Paige Lindenberg
Photo: Ford
Like Coetzee-Vonk, Paige Lindenberg comes from South African racing royalty. She got her first taste of success early, teaming with her father, Peter, to win the Powerboat World Championship at the age of nine. Growing up around Fords, Lindenberg channeled her passion into a successful family-run Shelby American modification business while racing and completing her degree in marketing.
Paige is also a budding philanthropist, and she’s found ways to leverage her love of adrenaline for important causes. In 2018, she reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on Mandela Day, raising money to provide young girls with sanitary pads and helping them continue their education.
Clare Vale
Photo: Ford
Clare Vale continues to break new ground, recently becoming the first woman to take part in the Supadrift Series. Vale shows that there’s never a wrong time to try something new, getting her start behind the wheel as a professional racer after her 40th birthday.
Shattering the glass ceiling comes naturally for Vale, who became the first woman to earn the pole position and lead a race in the WesBank V8 Supercar series. She also became the first to earn a podium finish in 2010. Her constant companion: the Ford Mustang.
“The Ford Mustang is definitely the most popular car I have ever driven,” said Vale. “That Ford V8 makes people’s hair stand up when they hear it, and it has entertained crowds from Cape Town to Windhoek — everyone loves the iconic Mustang.”
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.