Female Single-Seater Drivers Around the World: Africa

Tasmin Pepper

The African continent has produced a few female drivers, the most famous being Desiré Wilson. This page will hopefully expand in future. Drivers in other types of racing in Africa can be found here. 

Tannith Gardner - races karts and cars in South Africa. In 2007, she substituted for Tasmin Pepper in the SA Formula Ford championship at Zwartkops, when Tasmin was on international karting duty. Her final championship position that year was thirteenth. In 2011, she raced in the SA Production Car championship, driving a Subaru WRX STi. She scored at least two eighth places that year at Port Elizabeth, before contact with another driver sent her car rolling off the track. She was unhurt. Early in her career, she won a gearbox karting title outright.

Vicki Kemp - raced in South African Supercars in 2010, aged 18, with a view to moving into NASCAR. She was selected for 2010 NASCAR Driver Talent Search and Shootout, but did not get through. Her finishing record in Supercars was not good, but she did manage eighth and ninth places. After that, she switched to single-seaters, and competed in Formula VW in 2011. Her car was more reliable, and she  had a best finish of sixth, at Killarney. She was tenth in the championship. During her second Formula VW season, her performances were similar, and she was eleventh overall. After that, she does not seem to have raced. As a junior, she was the first girl to win a South African karting championship in 2007.

Glenda Mann - raced single-seaters in South Africa in the 1980s. She competed in the South African Formula Ford championship between 1983 and 1985. Among the cars she raced was a Donelly FF1600 and a Formula Vee car which she used in 1983. Her results are proving hard to find, but she won several races outright. She often competed alongside her brother, Basil Mann, who was a successful driver in both South Africa and Europe.

Jennifer Murray - South African driver who was part of their A1 GP team, driving in one test session in 2006. She was taken on following her performances in Formula Ford, in South Africa and at the 2004 Formula Ford Festival in the UK. In 2006, she was a consistent top-ten performer in the South African series, and was fourth overall. Between 2007 and 2009, she mostly competed in the Shelby Can-Am sportscar series in South Africa, in a 3300cc Dodge. Her best season was 2008, during which she won two races, visited the podium ten times and was the overall runner-up. She has also competed in Formula Volkswagen, and in the all-female Formula Woman Nations Cup. 

Helene Visser - raced single-seaters in South Africa in the 1980s. She did at least one season in Formula Ford in 1984, driving a Hawke DL19. During her career, she won at least one race outright, possibly in 1984 at Killarney International Raceway. That year, she entered the “Mini Monaco” event held around a golf course in Cape Town. Her husband Chris Visser also raced at the time.

Brittany Vorster - Formula Three driver from South Africa. She competed in Formula 3 in South Africa in 2010, as well as travelling to Brazil for the Brazil Open. She did not qualify. Her South African results are not forthcoming. Prior to this, she raced in Formula GTi in South Africa, and was fifth in the 2009 championship after three podium finishes. A serious accident at the end of the 2010 season meant that she decided to retire. Before that, she was active on the karting scene, both nationally and internationally. Away from the track, she is a model and TV personality. 

(Image from http://www.runridedive.com/)