Ice Queen

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.

“Antarctica will be the most beautiful yet dangerous terrain we’ve yet to encounter with ourselves and our vintage car, Renée explained. “We need to do things that are truly out of the norm to not only get noticed but to show just how serious we are in gaining ground for a cause that is reaching its own pandemic levels.” Her team for the Antarctica challenge consisted of her navigator, famous polar explorer Jason De Carteret, Kieron Bradley, extreme engineer, her ice mechanic, Simon Redhead, filmographer Neil Carey, and her daughter, Christina, handling her media and operations. The team took on this immense undertaking with great care and enthusiasm and a technical mission to execute their mission in the most carbon-neutral way possible.

For the Antarctic trip, 356 miles across Union Glacier’s blue ice, her Polar Porsche had to be re-engineered entirely, a process that took over a year and a half in the UK and was outfitted with tracks, skis, flexible solar panels, and a front crevasse bar. The car was transported to Chile to meet the team, then loaded onto a cargo plane to arrive in Antarctica. The 356A was never designed for snow, so engine and gearbox braces were added to make the car safer and more robust. According to Bradley, not only do the skis make a good-looking technologically-advanced statement, but they were specifically designed to be supported by all the other components to make less of an impact on the snow than a footprint.

The team endured freezing temperatures and winds that reached over 86 mph as Brinkerhoff and her crew set out across Antarctica. Many mechanical issues required repairs on-site, due to bolts failing at stress points and needing replacement—they also needed to use a blowtorch on several occasions to thaw the carburetor. At certain points on the journey, whiteout conditions forced them to rely on GPS markers alone.

Even after completing the 356 miles on December 10, the setbacks didn’t stop. A storm with extreme winds stranded the Valkyrie Racing team on the continent for days after completing the journey. Thankfully, the team could fly to Chile and eventually get to their respective holiday gatherings.

“Thanks to the many that have contributed and are continuing to support these important efforts, we are more than halfway to our goal,” Brinkerhoff said, noting their ultimate goal of raising $1 million. “However, when we reach our target, we don’t plan to stop there—we have many more challenges ahead and ask all those with compassionate hearts to continue to help us help those that can’t help themselves. We are all responsible for these children.”

“This marks the completion of racing on all seven continents—a journey that began in 2017,” the Valkyrie Racing team wrote on their Instagram account valkyrie_racing. “Every single mile we fought for against extreme conditions, but we knew it was worth it to raise awareness for our cause.”

With her Antarctic adventure in the rearview mirror, her Porsche has now become the first classic car to race on all seven continents. This mission may be accomplished, but their adventures are far from over!