Sheldon van der Linde Bio
Sheldon van der Linde is a South African motor racing driver who claimed the 2022 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championship and added the 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour to his growing list of major victories. He competes for Schubert Motorsport behind the wheel of car number 31. He is the younger brother of professional racing driver Kelvin van der Linde.
Early Life and Background
Sheldon van der Linde was born on 13 May 1999 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was introduced to motorsport at the age of six when he began racing karts in his native South Africa. Over the course of his karting career, van der Linde captured multiple South African national titles, laying the foundation for a future in professional car racing.
The transition from karting to car racing came in 2014, when van der Linde made his debut in car-based competition at fifteen years of age. His immediate success in the South Africa Polo Cup Championship demonstrated that his talent translated effectively to circuit racing with production-based vehicles, a promising sign as he aimed to build an international career.
Path to NASCAR
Following his dominant 2014 season, van der Linde continued his upward trajectory by winning the Volkswagen Cup South Africa in 2015, his second consecutive national-level championship. His results attracted attention from European racing teams, and in 2016 he moved to Europe to compete in the Audi Sport TT Cup, a support category to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. Van der Linde made an immediate impact, winning both races at the opening round at the Hockenheimring, and ultimately finished fourth in the championship standings with multiple podium finishes and two race wins.
Beyond the Audi Sport TT Cup, van der Linde has competed in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the ADAC GT Masters, and both Blancpain GT Series, building a diverse résumé across GT and sports car racing disciplines. In April 2023, he made his Formula E debut during the Berlin rookie test with Jaguar TCS Racing and later participated in additional rookie tests and practice sessions with the team.
Sheldon van der Linde Career
Early Career (2014–2018)
Van der Linde began his car racing career in 2014 with the South Africa Polo Cup Championship, winning the title in dominant fashion in his first season of car-based competition. He followed that performance with a victory in the Volkswagen Cup South Africa in 2015, establishing himself as one of the most promising young drivers in South African motorsport. His 2016 move to the Audi Sport TT Cup in Europe marked his first significant step onto the international stage, and he adapted quickly by winning both races of the opening round at Hockenheimring.
Van der Linde scored multiple podiums and two race wins during his debut Audi Sport TT Cup season, ultimately finishing fourth in the overall standings. He has since competed in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the ADAC GT Masters, and both Blancpain GT Series, gaining valuable experience across a wide range of GT and endurance racing formats.
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Breakthrough (2019–2022)
In January 2019, van der Linde was announced as a driver for BMW Team RBM in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, making him the first South African driver ever to compete in the series. He scored a pole position at Zolder during his debut season and finished 13th in the drivers’ standings, 19 points behind his teammate Joel Eriksson. He remained with RBM for the 2020 season, this time alongside Philipp Eng, and delivered a marked improvement in performance.
Van der Linde scored his first DTM podium at the second round of the 2020 campaign at the Lausitzring and followed it up by winning race two at Assen, a race in which he also set the fastest lap. A consistent season helped him finish sixth in the championship, making him the second-highest-scoring BMW driver and narrowly missing out on fifth place to Timo Glock. In 2021, van der Linde switched to ROWE Racing as the DTM transitioned to Group GT3 regulations, driving a BMW M6 GT3 alongside Glock. He recorded five top-ten finishes in the first seven races and achieved a fourth-place finish at Monza, his best result of the season, before finishing 11th in the final standings.
For the 2022 season, van der Linde was chosen to partner Philipp Eng at Schubert Motorsport as the team entered the DTM for the first time with a pair of BMW M4 GT3 cars. At the second round of the season at the Lausitzring, he won both races. He scored his third victory of the year in race one of the fifth round at the Nürburgring, finishing ahead of his brother Kelvin to become part of the first pair of brothers to complete a 1-2 finish in a DTM race. Heading into the final round at the Hockenheimring, van der Linde held an 11-point lead over Mercedes driver Lucas Auer in the championship standings. After finishing second in Saturday’s race and starting Sunday’s race two points ahead of Auer, van der Linde clinched his maiden DTM title with a third-place finish, finishing 11 points ahead of Auer in the final standings.
Schubert Motorsport Era (2022–Present)
Van der Linde’s 2022 championship-winning season established him as one of the premier drivers in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and cemented his place at Schubert Motorsport. His partnership with Philipp Eng and the BMW M4 GT3 program proved highly effective, with van der Linde’s race craft and consistency throughout the season proving decisive in the championship battle. The title made him one of the most accomplished South African drivers in European touring car history.
Van der Linde has continued with Schubert Motorsport in the seasons following his championship victory. On 2 February 2025, he claimed the biggest win of his career to date at the 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Australia. Driving a BMW M4 GT3 for Team WRT alongside Augusto Farfus and his brother Kelvin van der Linde, the trio won by ten seconds over their Team WRT teammates Raffaele Marciello, Charles Weerts, and Valentino Rossi. The victory made the van der Linde brothers only the third set of brothers to win a major race together at Bathurst.
Driving Style and Strengths
Van der Linde has demonstrated particular strength on both short circuits and the challenging layouts that define the DTM calendar. His karting background provided him with precise car control that translates effectively to GT and touring car racing, and his ability to extract consistent performance across varied track types has been a hallmark of his career. His success in the Bathurst 12 Hour further demonstrated his capability in endurance racing scenarios requiring sustained pace, strategic patience, and strong teamwork.
Notable Races and Milestones
Van der Linde’s 2022 DTM championship-clinching third-place finish at the Hockenheimring stands as one of the most significant moments of his career, achieved after recovering from a 10-place grid penalty to hold off Lucas Auer. His sweep of both races at the Lausitzring earlier that season showcased his raw pace on a track he would return to successfully throughout his DTM career. The 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour victory at Mount Panorama Circuit is the most significant endurance win of his career, achieved alongside his brother Kelvin and Augusto Farfus.
Sheldon van der Linde Career Wins
Sheldon van der Linde has claimed major race victories across multiple disciplines and continents, from national South African championships through to the pinnacle of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and endurance sports car racing. His DTM 2022 championship season featured multiple race wins across the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters calendar, and his victory at the 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour marked the most prestigious endurance win of his career.
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Highlights
Van der Linde won three races during his championship-winning 2022 DTM season with Schubert Motorsport. He swept both races at the second round at the Lausitzring, then scored his third victory of the year in race one at the Nürburgring, finishing ahead of his brother Kelvin in a historic 1-2 finish. His consistency throughout the season, combined with those three race wins, allowed him to enter the final round at Hockenheimring with an 11-point lead, ultimately clinching the title with a third-place finish in the final race.
Other Wins and Performances
Before entering the DTM, van der Linde dominated South Africa’s national racing scene by winning the South Africa Polo Cup Championship in his debut car racing season in 2014 and the Volkswagen Cup South Africa in 2015. His 2016 Audi Sport TT Cup campaign produced two race wins at the opening round at Hockenheimring as he finished fourth in the standings. The 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour victory at Mount Panorama Circuit with Team WRT, alongside Augusto Farfus and Kelvin van der Linde, stands as the most significant endurance win of his career.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | 3 | — | — |
| Audi Sport TT Cup | 2 | — | — |
Sheldon van der Linde Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Sheldon van der Linde is the younger brother of Kelvin van der Linde, a professional racing driver with South African and German nationality. The two brothers made motorsport history in 2022 when they became the first pair of siblings to complete a 1-2 finish in a DTM race, with Sheldon finishing first and Kelvin second at the Nürburgring. Their partnership extended further in February 2025, when they won the Bathurst 12 Hour together as teammates at Team WRT, joining an elite group of racing brothers.
Personal Life
Sheldon van der Linde was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. Details about his personal life outside of motorsport are limited, and no verified information about a spouse or children is available in public records.
Sheldon van der Linde 2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season has already produced the most significant victory of Sheldon van der Linde’s career. In February 2025, van der Linde competed in the Bathurst 12 Hour at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Australia, driving for Team WRT in a BMW M4 GT3 alongside Augusto Farfus and his brother Kelvin. The trio won the race by ten seconds, ahead of their Team WRT teammates Raffaele Marciello, Charles Weerts, and Valentino Rossi. The victory made van der Linde only the third set of brothers to win a major race together at Bathurst.
Van der Linde’s success at Bathurst demonstrated his adaptability across different racing formats, from sprint-based DTM competition to the demands of endurance sports car racing. He continued to represent Schubert Motorsport in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters throughout the 2025 season. His relationship with the Schubert Motorsport program, which began with the 2022 DTM title, has remained strong, and his Bathurst victory added a prestigious endurance trophy to a career that now spans multiple continents and racing disciplines.
