Kelvin Van Der Linde, a South African racing sports athlete, has proven his dominance on the track by winning multiple national and international titles.
Representing a family of professional racing drivers, Kelvin is determined to carry on the Linde family legacy. Over the years, he has established himself as one of the prominent figures in motorsport events, securing 89 podium positions while competing in 257 races.
Kelvin first caught the media limelight when he became the youngest ever winner of the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup at just the tender age of 17. Since then, the popularity of this South African champion has been on the rise.
As more people become aware of Kelvin's achievements, fans around the globe are eager to get a glimpse into his personal life. Here, we will go through Kelvin van der Linde's biography and look at the noticeable events in his life.
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Early Life And Family
The famous motorsport athlete was born on June 20, 1996. Additionally, Kelvin and his brother, Sheldon van der Linde, were raised in Gauteng, a province in South Africa located on the Jukskei River between Johannesburg and Pretoria.
During his upbringing there, he attended a local school alongside his brother, Sheldon, regularly driving a family-owned golf cart himself.
Racing Genes Run In Kelvin Van Der Linde's Family
Aforementioned, Kelvin comes from a family of professional racers and car enthusiasts.
Kelvin's grandfather, Hennie van der Linde, was one of South Africa's most successful touring car drivers. In the mid-1980s, Hennie dominated modified saloon car racing with his iconic 6-cylinder Nissan Skyline GTX.
Shaun van der Linde, Kelvin's father, was a national champion in touring car and single-seater racing. He claimed five titles in Formula GTI from 1992 to 2004. In addition, Kelvin's father also holds the record of 59 podium finishes in 140 races. Likewise, Bernadine van der Linde, Kelvin's mother, is a motorsports event lover as well.
Just like the racer, Kelvin's father Shaun was also a well-known racer in his home country. Photo Source: Kelvin's Instagram.
Moreover, Kelvin is the eldest son of the family. Sheldon, Kelvin's brother, is three years younger and yields the same passion for professional racing. Sheldon, Kelvin's brother, currently drives for Rowe Racing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Master and BMW Motorsport.
Etienne van der Linde, Kelvin and Sheldon's uncle, also demonstrated domestic dominance. He was the holder of the national championship titles in karting, Formula Vee and Formula GTI.
As a result, Kelvin van der Linde grew up to be a natural-born racer under the mentorship and observation of South Africa's top-class racing drivers.
Kelvin's Childhood Inside Racing Tracks
Since early years, Kelvin would spend the majority of his time inside racing tracks. However, Kelvin's parents noticed that he was drawn to the smell of engine oil and brake dust in the garage before he could walk.
Furthermore, it was common to find young Kelvin inside his father's racing vehicle, meddling with the steering wheel and helmet. However, he recalls it being something special, growing up surrounded by racing cars.
Kelvin grew up surrounded by supercars in his father's garage. Photo source: Kelvin's Instagram.
As Kelvin grew older, he began to observe his daddy's Shuan racing on closed circuits. Besides, Kelvin would also frequently spend his after-school hours on the computer with his brother, playing racing games.
Soon enough, Kelvin's parents realized his interest in racing and introduced him to karting at the age of eight. Since then, weekend kart practice and racing were a regular occurrence for little Kelvin.
Racing Career
In an interview, South African sportsman Kelvin stated:
"Becoming and being a racing driver was never a deliberate choice but is my destiny."
Kelvin's statement implies that the athlete has been clear and focused on becoming a professional racing driver since his early days. Hence, Kelvin started training regularly at the age of eight and established an impressive career garnished with several domestic and international trophies.
Dominance In Domestic Circuits
The professional driver, Kelvin van der Linde, began his career in kart racing. He has competed in various national kart competitions since the age of eight, and despite being the youngest in the field, he quickly achieved success. Between the years 2006 and 2010, young Kelvin won multiple South African Karting Championships.
Furthermore, Kelvin began to accumulate nationwide recognition in 2011 when he became the youngest ever driver to compete in a National South African Circuit event at age 14. Then following years, he became the youngest ever National Champion at 16 years and 128 days.
Breakthrough In International Platform
After achieving greatness on national circuits, the racing driver relocated to Germany to compete in European championships. Kelvin made even more history in 2013 when he won his first international title. In addition, he became the youngest ever winner of the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup at the age of 17. His achievement earned him a spot as a Volkswagen-sponsored junior driver for the 2014 season.
Kelvin van der Linde's career highlights are shown in the table below:
| 2019 | 1st | ADAC GT Masters |
| 2018 | 2nd | ADAC GT Masters |
| 2018 | 3rd | Suzuka 10 Hours - Pro Class |
| 2017 | 1st | 24H Nurburgring |
| 2014 | 1st | ADAC GT Masters |
| 2013 | 1st | Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup Germany |
Kelvin's early success propelled him to the position of Audi Factory driver, and he has been competing as a professional racing driver for the company since 2015, winning some of the world's most prestigious events.
Leading to his success, he also served as a test driver for the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team during the 2019/2020 ABB FIA Formula E Championship.
ADAC GT Masters Championship
Following on from his triumph the previous year, Kelvin won back-to-back European titles when, at the age of 18, he became the youngest ever ADAC GT Masters champion, driving an Audi R8 LMS Ultra. Kelvin shared the 2014 ADAC championship title with his co-driver, René Rast, a German professional driver.
Kelvin and his co-driver, Rene Rast, after winning 2014 ADAC GT Masters. Photo source: Kelvin's Instagram.
However, Kelvin struggled to defend his title in the upcoming years, not even securing podium finishes for three years. It wasn't until the ADAC GT Masters 2018 that Kelvin finished second in the tournament. A year later, he reclaimed the championship with another Audi Factory driver, Patric Niederhauser.
24H Nurburgring Winner
Kelvin's notable achievements include victories at the 24H Nurburgring, one of the highest-level endurance races.
Kelvin and his colleagues after winning 24H Nürburgring. Photo Source: Kelvin's Instagram.
He won the championship in 2017 alongside three other colleagues Connor De Phillipi, Christopher Miles, and Markus Winkelhock, after driving for hours in terrible rain conditions. He accomplished this feat while driving for team Land Motosport in his Audi R8 LMS.
Kelvin Van Der Linde Net Worth And Earnings
With his early success, the emerging South African racer has stunned the world. Consequently, motorsports enthusiasts are eager to know about Kelvin van der Linde's net worth as he continuously gathers fame in the profession.
Although the sports personality has not spoken publicly about his income, we can presume his assets are ever-growing thanks to his achievements. From domestic kart championships to the most prestigious international racing tournaments, the prize money won by the motorsports athlete is likely to have amassed a sizable fortune.
Earnings From Racing
Kelvin van der Linde's net worth consists of tournament winnings and salary from the team he represents. He made the most of his revenue from motorsports events as he is engaged in the racing business from his young days.
As previously stated, the Audi Factory driver has won some of the most reputed major racing tournaments like ADAC GT Masters, 24H Nurburgring, Suzuka 10H, etc. These competitions offer cash prizes ranging from $30,000 to $120,000.
Furthermore, Kelvin has represented several teams throughout his racing career. The average salary provided by the track team for their professional drivers varies from $30,000 to $40,000 per year. Given Kelvin's success and eminence in the field, his payroll should be around the same scale.
Finally, in 2015, Kelvin signed a contract with Audi as their factory driver. Since then, he has competed as a professional driver for the brand, winning several distinguished events. Although the exact income of the Audi Factory driver is unknown, Kelvin must earn a respectable salary, considering his accomplishments.
Who Is Kelvin Van Der Linde's Girlfriend?
As the dashing Audi sports driver gathered wealth and fame, fans are curious to get info on Kelvin's relationship. But, unfortunately, many of us are left wondering about his girlfriend as there is no evidence of romance in his social media accounts or interviews.
According to reports, Kelvin spends most of his off-season in South Africa, relaxing with his family and friends.
Kelvin spends most of his off-season back in South Africa. Photo Source: Kelvin's Instagram.
Perhaps Kelvin's love is brewing in his homeland, where he spends his winter vacations, or in Germany, where he resides during racing seasons. Nonetheless, he has yet to comment on his partner at the time.
As the popularity of this young South African athlete is growing by the day, we are hopeful of hearing about Kelvin's date soon. However, since Kelvin is devoted to his career and focused on decorating his resume with more titles, he might be single at the moment.
Single or taken, we can be sure that Kelvin is living up to his dreams of becoming a professional driver and competing at the highest level of motorsport events.
Trivia And Fun Facts
- Kelvin has a twitch account with 8.5k followers.
- He loves playing tennis whenever he is not racing
- He is most active on Instagram, with 42.8k followers
