Elke van Vledder (33) of Glenhazel is turning heads with her passion for motorsport!

This fascinating female with strong roots in the beauty industry also has an aspiring career in circuit racing! Elke is currently the Marketing Manager for Colomer South Africa and has operated in the health and beauty industry for 14 years. She has also worked with other industry giants such as L'Oreal.

Elke grew up in a household with three brothers and a father who was a Mirage pilot in the SAAF. It would seem only natural that she would have an instinctive love for cars and speed. Elke took this love to the next level after she met her husband Henry van Vledder, who has been a successful circuit racer since 1982.

Often referred to as 'Mrs Batman' on the circuit, Elke forms part of the Class D group of drivers in the Goldwagen VW Challenge Series. This class caters for the ex class P Polo Cup cars and the 2010 experimental class X vehicles.

Elke made her entrance into the racing scene in April 2010, when Henry asked her to take his race car out for the next race meeting as he had suffered an injury to his back. After that life changing moment, there was no going back! Elke says, "circuit racing makes me feel alive – it really is about you and your car! You have to battle with yourself and keep pushing the boundaries to progress."

Sporting a matte black 2.0L Volkswagen Golf Mk1 with that recognisable 'Batman' symbol, she made her race debut at Phakisa Freeway in Welkom during the fourth round of the 2010 Pro Tour Road show. Elke enormously improved her qualifying time and claimed third position at the finish line. She has completed 10 races to date and competes alongside her husband and mentor, who also races in the same class.

Among her racing accomplishments, Elke managed to secure the overall 1st place position in Class X during the 7th round of the 2010 Pro Tour Road Show held at Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria.

Her consistent driving, skill and hunger for high performance saw her make her mark at the end of the 2010 racing season where Elke finished fourth in the class X Championship and also won the Goldwagen Challenge Index of Performance. This is a remarkable achievement indeed as it is a first time occurrence for a woman who has competed in the Goldwagen Challenge Series.

Elke says, "the world of circuit racing has traditionally been male-dominated and it is wonderful to see more and more woman take to the circuits and embrace its freedom. To hone their skills and compete in this highly competitive sport." She would like to advise other future women of motorsport that they should endeavour to find a mentor who will be willing to invest the necessary time in them in terms of guiding them and their cars to success. Lastly, not to be scared to ask other racing drivers for help as you would be surprised at the amount of advice you receive.

This determined and motivated young woman really means business. Her short term goals in the circuit racing industry are to get within 0.3 seconds of the fast front-runners in her class and finally, to secure a win in her class. Her long term goals include a top 3 finish in the class championship but to ultimately hold an overall class championship under her belt. Elke currently has 11 points in her class thus far for 2011 and is keenly anticipating the remaining 6 races for the year in the Goldwagen VW Challenge.

The South African Motorsports industry encourages as much support as possible from the public. You too can support the teams and enjoy action packed day out with the family by attending a race at a circuit near you. Please log on to www.pro-tour.co.za or www.vwchallenge.co.za for race schedules and other event information. These exciting big-grid races are televised so you can also enjoy the thrill from home by switching on to Supersport and/or CSN channels respectively.

Elke would like to invite the media to an extraordinary experience with her on the track. She is also reaching out to potential sponsors in terms of various resources which are much needed. If you are interested in setting up a meeting, interview or sponsorship, please kindly contact Samantha van Jaarsveld on 076 780 5937.