The Top Ender Magazine June July 2023 Edition

MEET THE QUEEN OF
AUSTRALIAN MOTORSPORT
BETTY KLIMENKO AM
In the lead up to the Darwin V8’s,
we had the fortunate opportunity
to speak with the Queen of
Motorsport, Betty Klimenko AM,
about her incredible life and
unwavering love for all things
Australian, including V8 racing and
her relationship with the ADF!
PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH DEFENCE
I am an immensely proud and “tragic”
Australian with a strong sense of pride
for the ADF. We have a connection to
Puckapunyal through our motorsport
team and have been approved by the
ADF to use the RAA insignia on our
cars; I was super excited and did a little
happy dance when we were given
permission. We also employ Army
mechanics as part of our ADF
partnership and they learn so much
about cars and mechanics with us - I
love providing these opportunities.
We have a huge Aussie flag flying on our
farm that we struggle to raise every
morning and I am up at 3:30am for
ANZAC Day every year, just in case I
miss it. A few years ago, we were invited
to attend the ANZAC Day ceremony at
Puckapunyal, and we stayed at the
Officers Mess - we were up and ready
at the parade ground by 3:30am and no
one else had arrived yet [laughs]!
WHAT IS THE BEST ASPECT OF THE V8 SUPERCARS?
I love seeing things being developed and watching the team prepare to race
the final product. I get under the cars and have a look with my team, but I
can’t sit still with nerves when they start racing.
I also love the process of recruiting emerging young drivers into the team.
We once had an American 16-year-old racing for us, but he didn’t have a
road licence, he had a race licence, and he was exciting to watch!
WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGES?
I was ready for the transition into V8 racing, but the politics was a challenge. It
was a steep learning curve as I wasn’t expecting personality challenges in a
sport - the ‘boys club’ still exists and I can’t spend time with fake people
anymore.
I have also been diagnosed with Myeloma (bone marrow cancer) and I may
end up in a wheelchair, but I am content with it and want to enjoy the
quietness of my country farm while I still can. After spending the last 23 years
in motorsport and decades building shopping centres in my early years, I
love the country life and it’s my place to unwind. Life is better on the farm - I
know where I want to be.
HOW DID IT FEEL TO BE THE FIRST FEMALE OWNED
TEAM TO WIN BATHURST 1000?
The day we won Bathurst, I wasn’t ready for it, and it was so
surreal. The media wanted to interview me immediately after
winning, but I really needed to find a toilet! I had to Army crawl
under a garage door to find a men's bathroom. During the
interview, I had dust all over me from crawling along the floor!
Instead of putting the trophy in the factory, we built a locked
cabinet and took it everywhere with us for people to see. It was so
great seeing people get excited over the trophy and one little boy
said; “this is my dream to see this cup!” I often sit with kids and
fans; we hug and take photos - I haven’t forgotten what it means
to these kids who love motorsport. We have a lot of fans in
wheelchairs who have various illnesses and it’s sometimes a dying
wish for them to meet us. During one race, I ushered a group of
fans into our shed to escape the rain and they couldn’t believe
their luck - they were astounded that I let them in!
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