ICE QUEEN
One vintage Porsche and one serious roadtrip for a cause Written by Melissa Mahanes / Photos courtesy of Valkyrie Racing For almost three decades, a voice inside Colorado-based Renée Brinkerhoff told her that one day she would race a car. So, in 2012 at age 56, the mother of four decided to do just that. Knowing nothing about racing but also feeling this was something she couldn’t ignore, Renée went “all-in,” learning to face her fears and, in her words, “just get over it.” Then, in 2013, she entered herself in one of the most dangerous rally races in the world—La Carrera Panamericana in Mexico and came in first! “I only intended to go race one time; that was it. Go do that thing you told yourself you gotta go do. But it got a life of its own”, said Renée. After that unique accomplishment, Renée discovered that she had a calling to continue pushing the limits of extreme vintage racing and use her platform to raise awareness and funds to combat child trafficking globally. Her early success was the start of Valkyrie Racing Team’s quest to conquer six races on all seven continents. She continued on to Targa Tasmania in Australia, then Caminos del Inca in Peru, the Peking to Paris rally, and The East African Safari Rally. Her Project 356 World
Rally Tour has covered nearly 20,000 miles across 18 countries in some of the world’s most extreme locations and races, some never before competed in by a Porsche356A. Women and children would show up along the racecourse to watch her car go by, and she knew she wanted to make a difference in every country in which she competed to change the lives of children at risk. So, she established her Valkyrie Gives philanthropic arm called Project 356 and, to date, has raised over $600,000, with a goal of $1 million to end child trafficking. 100% of the profits go to “vetted boots on the ground” organizations making a real impact. The thrill-seeker decided to conquer the ultimate challenge of driving 356 miles over Antarctica’s Union Glacier. A certain element of danger excites Brinkerhoff—”life isn’t rich if it’s easy; you need it to have challenges and difficulties,” she says. So before heading to the South Pole, Brinkerhoff trained on a frozen lake in Sweden at Below Zero Ice Driving School to learn how to control the car and familiarize herself with driving on a surface made entirely of ice. slmag.net
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