Season 1, Episode 15: Renée Brinkerhoff - Race Car Driver and Founder at Valkyrie Racing

Women Shifting Gears with Amanda Busick

For almost three decades, a voice inside her told her that she would one day race a car. Renée Brinkerhoff knew nothing about racing, but knew that this was a drive within her that she couldn’t ignore. So she asked herself, “what are you going to do about it?” In her mid-50s and a mother of four, Brinkerhoff decided to go racing, but not just any racing, rally racing in some of the most dangerous races in the world. As she went “all-in”, she had to learn to face her fears and just “get over it”.

Brinkerhoff decided that her racing needed to have a philanthropic purpose so she started Project 356 – a world rally tour that has taken her racing in six out of seven continents where she is raising awareness and money to help fund grassroots organizations who are on the front lines around the world, fighting child trafficking.

There’s one continent left – Antarctica – where she and her Valkyrie Racing Team will have two goals: to drive 356 miles on the harshest, coldest terrain in the world, and to achieve a new land speed record on the ice of Antarctica. Renée and her team will be racing the elements in Antarctica in December of 2021.

There’s one thing for sure… Renée Brinkerhoff has no fear of the unknown. Her story will amaze you.