EREBUS Motorsport founder Betty Klimenko has shed light on a serious health battle she has been fighting behind the scenes.
Klimenko took to social media to announce she had suffered a bout of sepsis – which is the condition that took the life of NASCAR star Kyle Busch in May.
“I have been offline for quite some time now, I had sepsis at the end of last year and it has taken me a long time to get to a point where I am ready to face the world again,” she wrote.
“And by face, I mean making Bathurst.”
Erebus has a rich history of success at Bathurst, including wins in 2017 and 2024. It nearly added a third Great Race trophy last year when Cooper Murray and Jobe Stewart contended for victory.
It has been a brutal season to date for Erebus, which is effectively last in both the drivers’ and teams’ championships, but Klimenko stressed it’s only natural to experience challenges while developing youth.
“It is hard to sit back and let the rookies do what rookies do,” she wrote.
“It is not easy going from the top to the bottom, especially for the crew, but we made a commitment to help a couple of young drivers show what they can do over a (two-year) period, and teach them how to navigate the trials of Supercars.
“And that is exactly what we are doing, much harder than having a seasoned driver, but if we expect new blood in our sport, we as team owners need to sometimes swallow our pride and pass on knowledge to the young ones coming through.”