For those of you who may not know, the DNA of Super Vee has been around in South Africa since 1965 in the form of Formula Vee. It has forever been SA’s best form of grassroots racing, with the simple formula being an open-wheeled, single-seater tied together by Volkswagen components, specifically the front suspension, transmission, rear axle, and engine, with limited modifications allowed.
Taking on new heights, 2022 saw the evolution of this iconic class, morphing into Super Vee. The class got a decent upgrade, seeing 1600 cc fuel-injected engines, wings and diffusers for more downforce. Although an evolution rather than a revolution, Super Vee got the refresh that it needed, and the price and weight of the cars stayed pretty close to the original concept. This evolution has kept the class a grassroots stepping stone for drivers to focus on their driving skills, affordably.
One of South Africa’s best female drivers, if not the most famous female driver of all time, Desiré Wilson started her career in the mid 70s in the Formula Vee class. Although there have been many legendary women drivers over the year’s, like South Africa’s own Desiré Wilson (who enjoyed 58 years of competitive racing, seeing her drive more than 130 types of race cars on 100 tracks in 18 different countries, competing in the World Endurance Championship, Le Mans, Indy Cars and even Formula One to name a few), motorsport still seems to be perceived as a testosterone-fueled “man’s sport”. History has shown that women are just as competitive as soon as the helmet is on and the visor shuts; there’s no arguing that, but the environment, or rather the stigma, needs to change.
Thankfully, we are starting to see more female interest in motorsport, both from the supporting side of things, but also wanting to get involved in the sport. This craving has always been there, and now, thanks to in-depth and high-quality media and marketing coverage of more women drivers and their stories, like with Netflix’s Drive To Survive series covering Abbi Pulling, Bianca Bustamante, and Lia Block, the environment and the feedback given are rapidly starting to give more women the confidence they need.
On a bright and sunny Thursday afternoon at Zwartkops Raceway, we witnessed another major step in Super Vee, but an even bigger one for women’s racing in South Africa. Liqui Moly, MSA, Dunlop, Goldwagen, NPL, ATS Motorsport and Planetfitness, to name a few, were all there to voice and show their support of this new format of racing that helps break down stereotypes and creates a welcoming environment for all women. Welcome to the Super Vee Women’s League…
Near the karting circuit at Zwartkop, Liqui Moly had its factory setup pits with race-prepped Super Vees in red, white and blue, TV cameras rolling, journalists, insta-famous influencers, the big moguls of the motor industry, and some familiar women drivers in Liqui Moly race suits all in one place. Seeing the look on the faces of all the women and younger ladies in the room as they saw and heard the female Super Vee drivers talk was amazing.
The passion and excitement that the drivers injected into the bloodstream of the spectators was instantly visible; this is what it’s all about: inspiring future generations and hearing that it can be done. A few male drivers took to the mic and shared their excitement to see more women racing against them and also giving kudos where due, as they have been overtaken and beaten fair and square by some of these ladies out on track.
The idea of this league is not to separate the women from the men, but to give the women the support they need, the coverage to inspire and help make the transition easier and more welcoming. Driving the initiative verbally and on track are Fabienne Lanz and Anriette Van Wyk! Fabienne is very well known in motorsport as she has driven many disciplines and has had great success in her racing career up to the present. Fabienne’s goal is to help create a space where women do not feel intimidated by the prospect of competitive motorsports, where women can ask questions and learn without the fear of being made fun of or being seen as redundant.
Fabienne encourages women to empower themselves by learning through asking questions, making mistakes and also thinking clever by using AI. She recommended downloading Liqui Moly’s advantage App, which gives you access to a host of knowledge on lubricants, cleaners, techniques, and even an expert AI called “Oilbert” who helps you navigate the right Liqui Moly products for your vehicle. How cool is that!
Talking about Liqui Moly, Melicia Labuschagne, Director of Liqui Moly South Africa, holds this close to her heart and is proud to be a part of this initiative and wants to help the Super Vee Women’s League create the ideal environment for women to learn and enhance their skills. Liqui Moly has been in partnership with Super Vee for 5 years, and the reason behind it is that they see the passion from the drivers and the teams, but also the sportsmanship, where in Super Vee, no one gets left behind. If there’s a misfire or a part that needs replacing or a few tenths that need improving on track, the drivers help one another as if they are one big team.
Her vision with the Super Vee Women’s League wasn’t to create a divided camp, but to enhance this big team feeling for the female drivers. She went on to say, “People blossom where they are seen, supported and celebrated. If this can be an environment or motorsport class where women can flourish and learn from one another, and therefore become better drivers than they were yesterday, then we would have reached our goal.”
Following Melicia onto the stage was Des Webber from Goldwagen Montana. Des Webber expressed her excitement for the series and the prospect of nurturing local female talent. Goldwagen is the official parts supplier to the Super Vee Women’s League.
As seen and heard on the day, further inspiring the next female generation in the Auto and motorsport trade was listening to all the key players, sponsors and corporations that by coincidence are all run by women. Most don’t see or hear about it because, well, people in high positions don’t like to shout out from the hills about it, but rather work extremely well in silence—the world of motorsport is a very diverse one where women occupy a host of high roles.
The day came to an end, inspiration was stuck to the wall of everyone’s minds, and now it was the drivers’ turn to show off their cars, setups and knowledge of racing before the sun said its farewell speech. So, there you have it, we will be keeping an eye out on the Super Vee Women’s League and bringing you updates and action soon. We look forward to seeing the passion for motorsport thrive as these women, once again, take on the world of racing.
