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Betty Klimenko
AM
Born1959 (age 64–65)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Occupations
  • Businessperson
  • Motorsport team owner
Known forFirst female team owner to win the Bathurst 1000
SpouseDaniel Klimenko
Children3

Betty Ann Saunders-Klimenko AM (born 1959) is an Australian businessperson and motorsport team owner who runs the Erebus Motorsport squad in the Supercars Championship. In 2017, she became the first female team owner to win the Bathurst 1000. Klimenko is a promoter of women in motorsport and is a global ambassador for the Australian arm of the Dare to be Different initiative.

Early life

[edit]

Klimenko was the illegitimate child born to a police officer who served in the Vietnam War and the prostitute and former Miss West Australia Anne Neil in Sydney in 1959.[1][2] She has three biological siblings.[2] She was conceived drug-addicted in Kings Cross Police Station's Cell No. 3,[2] and was abandoned at the adoption nursery of the former Crown Street Women's Hospital by her biological parents at seven weeks old.[3][4] She has little knowledge of her biological mother,[2] who died when Klimenko was aged five,[5] and never met her parents.[2] Klimenko was adopted by the Hungarian-Jewish,[3] Westfield Group co-founder and Nazi concentration camp survivor John Saunders and his wife Eta.[2][4] Klimenko was born a Catholic and was raised as Jewish (although never converted).[4] She has a younger adopted brother,[4] and was raised by nannies, due to Saunders' work commitments.[2] Klimenko attended a Church of England school.[6]

Career

[edit]

At age 13,[2] Klimenko began working for Saunders as a cleaner in the toilets and kitchens of his shopping centres every Saturday for half a decade.[6] She also worked as a Santa's little helper in shopping centres before becoming the first female employee in the men's jeans department at Grace Bros.[2] Saunders cut Kilmenko off from his life following her second marriage to a non-Jewish man in Las Vegas and she had to assume a working-class life in the suburb of Matraville, Sydney living on her husband's income. Saunders and she reconciled after Klimenko gave birth to her son and subsequently received a share of her adoptive fathers’ fortune, following his death in 1997.[2][4] She is joint deputy chairperson of the family-owned property development company Terrace Tower Group with her sister.[4]

In 1999, Klimenko developed an interest for motor racing when her husband took her to a Porsche driving experience as a spectator.[7] Working with her husband,[8] she participated in amateur and semi-professional forms of motor racing,[4] primarily Formula 3 and GT racing as a sponsor for 14 years.[9] She also fielded a squad of SLS Mercedes GT cars in the GT3 category.[3][10] In September 2012, Klimenko purchased the Stone Brothers Racing team and V8 Supercars Championship racing license from co-owners Ross Stone and Jimmy Stone starting from the 2013 season.[11][12] She renamed the team Erebus Motorsport after the Greek god of darkness,[10][13] and would lease the licence for two years until 1 January 2015.[12] This made Klimenko the first female to own a V8 Supercars squad. She and the former head of Mercedes-Benz's motorsport activities Norbert Haug agreed to an engine supply deal for Erebus Motorsport and was a Mercedes team,[9] despite Mercedes-Benz Australia-Pacific telling its head office in Germany that V8 Supercars "was a sport for yobbos."[4]

To allow for the continuation of Erebus Motorsport, Klimenko financed the team from a family trust to service a loan after using up her personal income.[3] The relationship between her and Mercedes-AMG and HWA strained because the German marque did not understand the V8 Supercars Championship and team principal Ross Stone and team manager David Stuart left Erebus Motorsport.[14] Klimenko switched manufacturers Mercedes to Holden in 2016 and moved Erebus Motorsport's headquarters from Queensland to Victoria.[15] She was the first woman team owner to win the Bathurst 1000 when Erebus Motorsport drivers David Reynolds and Luke Youlden finished first in the 2017 edition.[16][17] In the 2018 championship, Klimenko's team finished fourth in the Teams' Championship.[15] She sold 50 per cent of her share of the No. 99 Racing Entitlement Contract used by Erebus Motorsport, to the team's CEO Barry Ryan in June 2019.[18]

Klimenko promotes women in motorsport.[19] She led the nationwide Women in Auto Trades campaign opposite Auto Skills Australia and the Australian Government in 2014 visiting schools and aiming to get young girls into the motor trades industry.[20] In March 2018, Klimenko joined the Australian arm of the Dare to be Different initiative as a global ambassador aiming to increase involvement of women at all levels of motor racing.[21][22] She is an ambassador for the Blue Datto Foundation,[23] and of the bereavement charity for children Feel the Magic.[24] Klimenko featured on a November 2013 episode of 60 Minutes detailing her life and motor racing career.[25]

Personal life

[edit]

She is married to Daniel Klimenko with whom she has one child. Klimenko has two children from a previous marriage that lasted five years from 1981 to 1986.[2][4] She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours "for significant service to motorsport, and to charitable organisations".[26]

Net worth

[edit]

As of May 2023 the Australian Financial Review estimated Klimenko's net worth as A$2.76 billion as published in the 2023 Rich List, held jointly with her half-sister, Monica Saunders-Weinberg, and their family.[27] Klimenko and Saunders-Weinberg first appeared in the 2019 Rich List.[28]

Year Financial Review Rich List Forbes
Australia's 50 richest
Rank Net worth
A$ 		Rank Net worth
US$
2019[28] 32 Increase $2.37 billion Increase
2020[29] 29 Increase $2.73 billion Increase
2021[30] 37 Decrease $2.66 billion Decrease
2022 40 Decrease $2.70 billion Decrease
2023[27] 40 Steady $2.76 billion Increase
Legend
Icon Description
Steady Has not changed from the previous year
Increase Has increased from the previous year
Decrease Has decreased from the previous year

Personality

[edit]

Klimenko is a non-comfortist;[10] Jane Cadzow of The Age noted "She swears, she smokes, she has a lot of tattoos."[4] Described as "Outspoken and unapologetic" by Autosport's Andrew van Leeuwen,[19] she is popular in Australian motorsport for "her very personal brand of fan engagement plays very well indeed with the fans" according to DailySportsCar's Graham Goodwin.[13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Newton, Bruce (March 2013). "Black Betty". Wheels: 108–111. ISSN 0043-4779. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020 – via EBSCO.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Phelps, James (8 June 2013). "Westfield heiress Betty Saunders-Klimenko's journey from orphanage to a life of luxury". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 July 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Thompson, Eric (5 October 2014). "Queen of the V8s". New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020 – via PressReader.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cadzow, Jane (26 March 2018). "Betty Klimenko: the unlikely heiress revving up motor sport". The Age. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  5. ^ O'Brien, Connor (31 March 2020). "Klimenko opens up on untold pain". Supercars. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b Richard Fidler (2 July 2018). "Betty, Queen of Donks – Conservations" (Podcast). Conversations. Event occurs at 00:09.13–00:15.00. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Go Girl!". Sunday News. 31 March 2013. p. 30. ProQuest 1321593237. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020 – via ProQuest.
  8. ^ O'Neil, Rohan (10 July 2015). "Betty's 'boys' make owner race ready". Townsville Bulletin. p. 48. ProQuest 1695061314. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020 – via ProQuest.
  9. ^ a b "A revhead for business". Business View magazine. 12 December 2013. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  10. ^ a b c Fogarty, Mark (17 April 2013). "Betty's Black Knight". Auto Action (1587): 18–21. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020 – via EBSCO.
  11. ^ Kogoy, Peter (20 September 2012). "Property tsar puts Mercedes on V8s grid". The Australian. p. 34. ProQuest 1041040942. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020 – via ProQuest.
  12. ^ a b Cushnan, David (8 January 2013). "Stone Brothers Racing renamed as Klimenko buys V8 squad". SportsPro. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  13. ^ a b Goodwin, Graham (13 August 2014). "Catching up with Betty Klimenko, "Spa is Like A Big Bathurst"". DailySportsCar. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  14. ^ Bartholomaeus, Stefan (3 July 2015). "Q&A: Betty Klimenko on the evolution of Erebus". Speedcafe. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Betty Klimenko, Owner of Erebus Motorsport". Penrite Racing. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  16. ^ Levi, Joshua (11 October 2017). "First Jew to win Bathurst 1000". The Australian Jewish News. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  17. ^ Fife-Yemoans, Janet (10 October 2017). "A Fairytale's Driving Force". The Daily Telegraph. p. 14. ProQuest 1948537930. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020 – via ProQuest.
  18. ^ Adam, Mitchell (27 June 2019). "Klimenko sells stake in Erebus entry". Supercars. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  19. ^ a b van Leeuwen, Andrew (22 August 2019). "Betty Klimenko" (PDF). Autosport: 35. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  20. ^ Pike, Ben (14 March 2014). "Westfield heiress Betty Klimenko: more girl mechanics". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  21. ^ van Leeuwen, Andrew (28 March 2018). "Supercars team owner joins Dare to be Different". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  22. ^ Adam, Mitchell (28 March 2018). "Klimenko becomes Dare To Be Different ambassador". Supercars. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  23. ^ "Ambassadors". Blue Datto. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  24. ^ "Our Ambassadors: Betty Kilmenko". Feel the Magic. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  25. ^ "Erebus matriarch Betty Klimenko on 60 Minutes". Speedcafe. 16 November 2013. Archived from the original on 18 November 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  26. ^ "Mrs Betty Klimenko". It's an Honour. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  27. ^ a b Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (26 May 2023). "The 200 richest people in Australia revealed". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  28. ^ a b Bailey, Michael (30 May 2019). "Australia's 200 richest people revealed". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  29. ^ Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (30 October 2020). "The full list: Australia's wealthiest 200 revealed". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  30. ^ Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (27 May 2021). "The 200 richest people in Australia revealed". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
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