When she came out the winner of that race, beating her friends and her Dad, Valerie’s dream to race one day in the Formula 1 Series was born. Her parents fueled her excitement and bought Valerie her first racing kart.

In 2001 Danielo Rossi, a five-time CRG shifter kart champion, recognized Valerie’s extraordinary talent and gave her her first big opportunity. She traveled to Italy to test and run in a CRG shifter kart series, racing against 122 international competitors. Back on home turf with European karting experience under her belt, she went on to make history by being the first girl to clinch the Quebec 125cc Shifter Cup Championship. This experience propelled Valerie forward into another class of racing.

In 2002 Valerie found herself competing in Formula Ford 1600. Key Motorsport crewed Valerie and partner Chris Green to create Team Quebecoise. Valerie continued to improve her racing technique in her rookie season, finishing 24th overall.