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News
Clare Vale
Returns to Circuit Racing
Great start to 2014 for the
First Lady
Clare Vale has an Action Packed
Return to V8 Racing
Clare Vale’s
SupaDrift season Ignites
Supadrift Sideways For
The First Lady
Positive Weekend at Z
for the First Lady
Clare Vale back in
Rolling Thunder at Z
Sideways and
Forwards at SupaDrift in Port
Shepstone
Successful karting
day for The Road Safety Foundation
Results
Schedule
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Profile
At the Kyalami race in November 2007, Clare Vale
became the first lady racer to race in the premier
national WesBank V8 Supercar series. In March of
2009 at the WesBank V8 race at Kyalami, she became
the first lady racer to take pole as well as lead a
V8 race. Clare also became the first lady racer to
have a podium finish in WesBank V8 Supercar
history: at the historic East London Grand Prix
circuit Clare finished a podium 3rd place in
October 2010.
She then moved to the drifting motorsport
discipline, becoming the first female driver to
participate in the Supadrift Series. After moving
between circuit racing and drifting during the 2012
season, she will be focusing on National drifting
for the 2013 season.
Her Gatorback Ram sponsored Mustangs produces
serious muscle, 600hp and 450kW of power. These
engines make the V8 Supercars the fastest saloon
cars in the country, and Clare’s drift Mustang
is powered by the same engine, making it unique in
South African drifting.
Clare won her first race during the Springbok
series at the Killarney circuit in 2006, racing a
Shelby Can-Am sports car. She has raced in the
national Shelby Can-Am series as well in Production
Cars Class A, in a Subaru STI. She has also raced a
Porsche 917 in the International Sports Prototype
class, finishing 2nd in the Championship in
2011.
Off circuit, Clare is a director of The Truck
Man in Boksburg, dealers in used trucks and
trailers. She has taken on the Ann Van Dyk Cheetah
Centre – De Wildt as a personal cause and is a
past President of MSA’s (Motorsport South
Africa) Women in Motorsport Panel. She has been
nominated twice for the Colin Watling Award for
service to motorsport.
In 2010, she was appointed as a Road Safety
Ambassador for the Road Safety Foundation and in
2011 was appointed as Chairperson of the Women in
Road Safety Forum.
Snippets
News
Clare Vale Returns to
Circuit Racing
This weekend sees Clare Vale return to track
racing at Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria. She will
be back behind the wheel of her RAM Mustang V8
Supercar. This will be the first round of the 2014
Super Series and Clare will be competing in the
Sports & GT class for the first time in over a
year.
Clare has been focusing on drifting recently and
will be looking forward to shaking the cobwebs off
the racing Mustang. There is a full field of V8s on
the grid and as always, the racing will be fast and
furious.
Clare Vale on the return: ”I’ve always
loved racing the RAM Mustang in the V8 Supercar
class, and I’m really keen to see if I can
remember how not to drive sideways! The V8 drivers
are back in full force for 2014 and we’re
itching to show the Zwartkops spectators some real
racing on Saturday.”
Source: www.clarevale.com/clare-vale-returns-to-circuit-racing/
Great start to 2014 for the
First Lady
This weekend saw the first round of the National
SupaDrift Championship travel to The Rock Raceway
in Brakpan, and Clare Vale and her RAM Mustang were
looking forward to starting the year on a good note
at her home track. There was action aplenty as the
course was extremely fast, leading to some
expensive mistakes against the unforgiving walls of
the oval circuit. Several competitors had to go
home with severely damaged cars due to the tricky
lines and the high speed the layout demanded.
Clare Vale qualified strongly in 22nd place out
of 38 drifters, and went up against the highly
experienced Hannes Frans. She pushed Frans very
hard, but his consistency won through and he took
the win over a very competitive Clare. Frans ended
the event 3rd overall on the day, showing just how
competitive Clare was at this SupaDrift event.
Clare Vale on the event: ”I was really
looking forward to this event – it’s been
a long break since last season and I always love
drifting at The Rock. The RAM Mustang is in superb
form and the high speed track really suited a high
horsepower car. The standard of drifting was
extremely high, and we knew we were in for a tough
tandem against Hannes, who went all the way through
to a podium finish. The RAM team was very satisfied
to have such a positive start to the season and we
know we can only improve on our results.”
Source: www.clarevale.com/great-start-to-2023-for-the-first-lady/
Clare Vale has an Action
Packed Return to V8 Racing
This weekend saw Clare Vale make her return to the
WesBank Super Series after a long break, and she
found her pace very quickly. She qualified in 6th
place and with a field of 24 entries, the scene was
set for an exciting day!
Clare had a great start in Race One and was
racing near the front of the pack when she had an
unfortunate incident with one of Shelby Can-Ams.
This resulted in a damaged rim and instant
deflation of a rear tyre, ending her race. The team
raced to repair the car in time for Race Two, where
Clare started from 5th place on the grid.
She started well and was chasing the leaders
when the safety car came out for a stricken Shelby.
At the restart Clare ran wide through the hairpin
as her tyres had lost some heat and she lost a few
positions in the process. She had some exciting
dices as she fought back to regain position and
finished the day 7th overall, despite her non
finish in the first race. All in all, the weekend
was a positive return to the V8 Supercar class for
the Gatorback RAM Mustang, but the team felt that
Clare could have finished higher if not for the
incident in the first race.
Clare on her race weekend: ”We had to do
some frantic work to prepare the car, as we
discovered that our motor had a problem the week
before the event. With a lot of assistance from
fellow V8 competitors, we found a second hand
piston that could be modified to fit and only got
the car to the circuit on the Thursday night. With
no testing beforehand, we made the most of Friday
practice, made some last minute changes on Saturday
morning and ended up with a really good car on race
day! A huge vote of thanks to my team and to all
the people who went out of their way to help –
I could not have raced without them.”
Source: femaleracingnews.com/drifting/clare-vale-has-an-action-packed-return-to-v8-racing/
Clare Vale’s
SupaDrift season Ignites
Saturday saw Clare Vale compete in SupaDrift 6 at
Zwartkops raceway in Pretoria. The Gatorback RAM
team had to race to finish the car for this event
after it was damaged at the previous Supadrift in
Port Shepstone, so Clare had no practice on Friday
but went straight into the short practice session
on Saturday afternoon.
The huge amount of development work the team has
done on the big Mustang is finally paying
dividends, and Clare was able to get the car really
working for her both in practice and qualifying.
Although she didn’t make the Top 16 this time,
Clare strung some awesome drift sequences together,
much to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd.
Clare Vale on her Drift weekend: ”The team
was under huge pressure to get the car prepared for
Supadrift 06, and we only arrived at Zwartkops late
on Friday evening. Despite this, the Gatorback RAM
Mustang felt awesome from the start, and I really
felt at home in the big V8. We didn’t quite
reach our goal of a Top 16 qualifying position, but
we have plenty of time before our next event in
September to perfect our style and I’m really
looking forward to Supadrift 07.”
Source: Female Racing
News
Supadrift Sideways For
The First Lady
The weekend saw the SupaDrift 04 event form part of
the successful Gauteng Motor Show at Zwartkops
Raceway. It was the 4th round of this year’s
national drift championship and Clare Vale was
looking forward to building on the progress made at
previous rounds.
Clare’s purpose built Gatorback RAM Drift
Mustang has been a difficult car to set up as the
racing team comes to grips with the new challenge
of drifting. Drifting is also a sport that puts an
enormous amount of strain on a car, and after only
a few practise runs on Friday the team had to take
the propshaft out for repairs. Driveline
Technologies made sure that Clare’s car was
ready for qualifying on Saturday afternoon, but the
lack of practise time on the fast track layout took
its toll and she was unable to qualify in the Top
16 this time.
Luckily this weekend David Nell and several of
the experienced drifters stepped forward with some
valuable advice for the team, and the team will
make good use of their suggestions before the next
event in July.
Clare Vale on Supadrift 4: ”We’ve had
a lot of bad luck in our first season of national
drifting, but I think a few challenges are to be
expected with a newly developed car. We’re
learning every time we compete and the Gatorback
RAM team improves the car further after each event.
I love drifting, though, and I’m really
enjoying discovering the art of sideways! It’s
also great to have so much support from the other
drivers, who gave us some good ideas as to how we
can make the “Big Dog” Mustang perform
better.”
Source: femaleracingnews.com/drifting/supadrift-sideways-for-the-first-lady/
Positive
Weekend at Z for the First Lady
The weekend saw Clare Vale compete in the V8
Supercar series as part of the WesBank Super
Series. After a frustrating weekend at the previous
race in Port Elizabeth, Clare was looking to bounce
back and that she did. She showed good pace in
qualifying putting herself 7th on the grid for race
1. Unfortunately an incident while overtaking
resulted in some body damage to the Gatorback RAM
Mustang and a forced pit stop. Although Clare
returned to the race, she was already three laps
down on the rest of the field.
Race 2 saw Clare start 8th on the grid. After
some rubbing under yellows pushed her on to the
dirt at the start, she managed to get a good race
under her belt, finishing a solid 7th. Overall 7th
was an excellent result on only her second V8
Supercar race this season. The team was awarded the
Rose Foundation Team Spirit of the Day award,
wonderful credit to a team that never stops
working.
Clare Vale on her race weekend: “The team
was looking forward to the Zwartkops event, as we
always have great support from our sponsors who
turn out in force to cheer us on. We’ve
battled with an understeering car for several
seasons, and decided to try a completely new set up
for this race. Although it doesn’t really show
in the results, the Gatorback RAM Mustang handled
so much better this weekend and we are now really
positive about the next race at Phakisa in August.
It’s a shame, though, that the V8 Supercars
have been excluded from the Durban Street Race
during the Top Gear live show. This means that our
class will lose out on a round of the Championship
this year and the KZN petrolheads will miss seeing
the flame spitting V8s in action.”
Source: clarevale.runridedive.com/positive-weekend-at-z-for-the-first-lady/
Clare Vale back in
Rolling Thunder at Z
This Saturday sees Clare at Zwartkops raceway in
her Gatorback RAM Mustang to compete in the V8
Supercar class as part of the WesBank Super Series.
This is the team’s first local V8 Supercar
race this year, with Clare’s first outing in
Port Elizabeth at the beginning of the month.
The PE event was disappointing as the second
race was stopped after a handful of laps due to
Marc Auby’s car unfortunately catching fire
and burning out. Clare has been honing her skills
not only in circuit racing but also in the national
SupaDrift Drifting series, and she is looking
forward to a full day of National circuit
racing.
Clare on the upcoming race weekend: “I
really enjoyed driving the Gatorback RAM Mustang in
PE, despite the unfortunate cancellation of the
second race. The big V8 Supercars are still the
ultimate thrill for a driver, and with a full field
of 19 entries at Zwartkops the racing is sure to be
close and fast! After battling for ages with
chronic understeer in our Mustang, we’ve put
our heads together with some of the most
experienced drivers in the class and will be trying
out a whole new set up this weekend. If it works,
you can expect to see us right in the thick of the
action!”
Source: clarevale.runridedive.com/clare-vale-back-in-rolling-thunder-at-z/
Sideways and Forwards
at SupaDrift in Port Shepstone
Saturday the 12th of May saw the first ever motor
sport event take place at the Dezzi Raceway in Port
Shepstone. Clare Vale was there in her Gatorback
RAM Drift Mustang in this, the third round of this
year’s SupaDrift championship. Practice
started well as Clare came to grips with the track
but a broken shock early on Friday meant that she
had virtually no track time before qualifying on
Saturday afternoon.
A frantic hunt for a suitable replacement shock
ensued with no success, so eventually the team did
some creative welding in order to get out in time
for qualifying. Unfortunately, Clare didn’t
make the top 16 this time but was at least able to
put on a bit of a show for the enthusiastic
crowd.
Clare on the race weekend: ”Dezzi Raceway
was a fantastic venue for Round Three of Supadrift!
People turned out in their thousands and they loved
their first taste of drifting. The Gatorback RAM
team was unlucky, as we lost out on all our
practise time and had to go straight into
qualifying. The Mustang is showing real promise,
though, and all the time spent on development is
starting to pay dividends. I’m really enjoying
the new challenges of drifting and I have no doubt
that the “Big Dog” V8 is going to be even
more popular with spectators as its handling
continues to improve.”
Source: clarevale.runridedive.com/sideways-and-forwards-at-supadrift-in-port-shepstone/
Successful karting day
for The Road Safety Foundation
Sunday the 6th of May saw Clare Vale and the
Gatorback RAM team host a charity karting day in
aid of The Road Safety Foundation. Teams from
Renault SA, Renault Retail Organisation, Honda SA,
Gatorback RAM, the AA of SA, Liqui-Moly, ATS
Motorsport, Locost SA, Fleetwatch magazine and the
Top Class Automotive sponsored ‘Friends of the
Foundation’ team competed in a 2 Hour
endurance race. The Friends of the Foundation team
included the Sunday Times’ Thomas Falkiner,
Talk Radio 702’s Sagie Moodley, Cars in
Action’s Phuti Mbyane, ABR’s Graham
Erasmus and Barend Kruger from the Foundation .
The racing was wheel to wheel and hard fought,
with some extremely quick times from the top teams.
At the finish, the top three karts saw the flag
with only a minute between them. All the teams
enjoyed a day of fun and team building, with superb
displays erected by Renault SA and Liquimoly and
plenty of Red Bull on hand to give the drivers
wings.
The day was a great success as the event managed
to raise in excess of R30,000.00 for The Road
Safety Foundation.
Clare Vale on the event: ”It was fantastic
to have such great support from the teams who raced
on the day. Road safety is such a critical issue in
South Africa, and The Road Safety Foundation needs
all the help it can get. They do incredible work in
so many areas, including running a Safety Centre at
Van Reenen’s Pass over holiday periods, and
they have saved many lives over the years.
We’re very grateful to all the entrants who
made our donation possible.”
Source: clarevale.runridedive.com/successful-karting-day-for-the-road-safety-foundation/
Results
2012 This is an exciting and busy year
for the Gatorback RAM team. Clare will be running
her new Mustang V8 drift car in the National
Supadrift Series, as well as racing in the V8
Supercar circuit racing series. She will also
participate in the Porsche 917 ISP class when the
calendar allows..
2011 The Gatorback RAM team focussed on
racing their Porsche 917 replica in the
International Sports Prototype class, finishing
second in the Championship despite some
non-finishes early in the season. Clare also took
part in the two final WesBank V8 Supercar races at
Zwartkops, but the team spent a lot of their time
developing and testing their purpose built drift
Mustang. Clare became President of WIM but resigned
from the panel by the end of 2011. Clare then
became part of the newly formed Women In Road
Safety forum and was voted in as the forum’s
inaugural Chairperson.
2010 Mrs Fast had a difficult season in
the V8 class, with some unlucky non finishes. She
still made history by taking 3rd overall at the
daunting East London circuit and becoming the first
female driver to stand on the WesBank V8 Supercar
podium. Clare became Vice-President of WIM.
2009 Clare and the Gatorback RAM team
made great progress in her second season, becoming
the first lady racer to start a WesBank V8 race
from pole and in the process becoming the first
lady racer to lead a WesBank V8 race.
2008 saw the First Lady have her first
full season in the WesBank V8 Supercar Series. Her
best finish that year was in Port Elizabeth, where
she came home 5th overall and secured her first
trophy in the series in the process. Her
partnership with Gatorback RAM also commenced in
2008. This year also saw Clare start her
relationship with the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre, a
relationship that continues to this day. The Centre
was chosen as the “green affiliate” to
the racing team. In addition Clare became the car
circuit racing representative on MSA’s
(Motorsport South Africa) WIM (Women in Motorsport)
panel.
2007 saw Clare become the first lady
racer to race in the Bridgestone Production Cars
Class A class. This was a short lived stint in the
Subaru STI as team politics led her to leave the
team after only one race. She then entered the last
WesBank Super Series race of the 2007 season to
make her debut in the WesBank V8 Supercar
series.
2006 Clare again raced in the Shelby
Can-Am series. She was awarded “Driver of the
Day” on several occasions and finished the
year with a strong haul of points, despite a number
of unlucky non-finishes.
2005 saw her first full season competing
in the National Shelby Can-Am series. She slowly
built her confidence with controlled and calm
performances in the series.
2004, in October, was the year Clare
started her racing career in the Shelby Can-Am
series. Her aim was not to finish last and to
finish the race in one piece – both of which
she did and the racing career of ‘The First
Lady’ started in earnest. She was the first
lady driver to compete in a Shelby Can
–Am.
Schedule
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