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This week the newest member of the ProFormance Racing School joins us in the studio, Siena Kitch! Siena is a proud chip of the Kitch block and has been basically living and breathing the automotive racing world since the day she was born. She's smart, funny, and a great guest we know you'll love to hear! Check out ProFormance on Instagram and TikTok to see all of the latest content. Be sure to check out our Avants Track Days at ProFormance! https://proformanceracingschool.com/events/
Recorded live in partnership with ProFormance Racing School and Park Place LTD, we got to enjoy a special evening with the legendary Lyn St. James! Lyn shares some amazing stories of her time behind the wheel and gives some great advice about stepping into motorsports and how to get more women involved in racing. Be sure to check out the YouTube video of this event as well, which we remastered after the recording to give you better audio and video.
On this week’s episode of Speed Secret Podcast, James Colborn joins me to discuss everything open wheel racing, what it’s like to race during the pandemic, and racing in British Formula Ford. We also offer tips on racing in the rain. James Colborn’s Speed Secret: Get comfortable with what data can do for you. James started racing in 2009. A graduate of the ProFormance Racing School in Seattle Washington, James acquired his first race license from the International Conference of Sports Car Clubs (ICSCC) and raced his novice year in a BMW E30 series called PRO3. From 2009 until 2017 James lived, and raced, in the United States running in a series of both professional and club racing events. Driving predominantly BMWs, James won races in the ICSCC, National Sports Car Association (NASA) and Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). This ranged from winning the 25 Hours of Thunderhill to SCCA and ICSCC sprint races. James also competed in numerous professional races in the Continental Tire Series, Street Tuner (ST) class with C360R and BimmerWorld. In 2018 James moved back to the United Kingdom and shifted focus to Open Wheel racing and the Formula Ford 1600 series. In 2020 James competed in the Castle Combe FF1600 Championship finishing second in C Class and winning the Formula Ford Carnival race (C Class). James campaigns his Van Diemen RF88 with Wayne Poole Racing. James is passionate about driver development using data. James has partnered with AiM Sports and AiM Technologies since 2013 and his tutorial videos, data seminars and one on one coaching have helped many drivers improve their driving through data analysis and interpretation. Check out James Colborn below: https://www.jamescolborn.com https://www.youtube.com/user/colbornjames
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Don Kitch, old friend and founder/owner/chief instructor of ProFormance Racing School, shares what he would do differently if he could do it all over again. We also discuss fear, micromanaging, knowing when to call it quits, the downside of instructing, and the pros and cons of keeping your club racing equipment when going pro racing. Don’s Speed Secret: Do it differently. Look for different ways, because there’s always more. Don Kitch has raced at the amateur/club level, as well as professionally in IMSA. He co-drove with Ross to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona LMP2 race in 2003. He founded Team Seattle, which has raised over $6 million for the Seattle Children’s Hospital. In 1994 he founded ProFormance Racing School, which he continues to operate to this day at Pacific Raceway in Seattle. Check out Don Kitch below: https://proformanceracingschool.com
It might be winter, but it's a great time to sign up for your first track day! Curtis Creager is an instructor with Proformance Racing School at Pacific Raceways in Kent and he's on this episode to tell you all you need to know about doing your first track day, what mods really matter, and gives us great general driving and car advice. Another interesting guy you definitely should know, so we made sure we brought him on the show!
It might be winter, but it’s a great time to sign up for your first track day! Curtis Creager is an instructor with Proformance Racing School at Pacific Raceways in Kent and he’s on this episode to tell you all you need to know about doing your first track day, what mods really matter, and gives us great general driving and car advice. Another interesting guy you definitely should know, so we made sure we brought him on the show!
Andrew Evans is a young American race car driver currently competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the LMP2 category and he is the 2019 12 Hours of Sebring winner. Andrew raced in both Europe and the United States in 2017 and 2018. This included several podium finishes, a win, and numerous pole positions in the British LMP3 Cup with teammate and recently retired 2x All-Star MLB player, CJ Wilson. Andrew also raced select events in the IMSA Prototype Challenge Championship for Charles Wicht Racing and Performance Tech Motorsports. Andrew is on-track virtually every week, as lead instructor for ProFormance Racing School in Seattle, a school past Cars Yeah guest Don Kitch owns and operates. He also travels frequently to drive professionally at marketing events for auto manufacturers including Jaguar and McLaren.
Don Kitch joins me to talk about the art of racing in the rain, as we sit together at Pacific Raceway in Seattle, the very place where Garth Stein’s book, The Art of Racing in the Rain came to life – and the “home” of the upcoming Patrick Dempsey movie. Don and I dissect eight of my Speed Secrets that are aimed at driving fast in the rain, as well as our love for simply being at a race track. Don and I have been close friends for over 25 years, and have worked together throughout that time, sharing a race car at Daytona with Team Seattle, coaching drivers, conducting high-performance driving schools, and having our luggage get lost during air travel. Don is the owner and chief instructor for ProFormance Racing School, and the founder of the Team Seattle program that has raised millions of dollars for the Seattle Childrens Hospital. He began racing in 1982… and some think he will never stop! For sure, he will never stop sharing his knowledge and passion for high performance driving. Follow: https://proformanceracingschool.com https://www.facebook.com/ProFormanceRacingSchool/
Adam Hosey is a professional motorsports photographer from Bonney Lake, Washington. He discovered his passion for the camera in high school when a friend’s father offered the use of his dark room. Back then he shot aircraft at Paine field, the Unlimited Hydroplane Races, and then he discovered the ProFormance Racing School at Pacific Raceway where past Cars Yeah guest Don Kitch runs an on-track school. Since then Adam has traveled with Team Seattle to the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona to photograph the race. Adam also shoots at the local SCCA and vintage races, for clients on consignment, and he sells gallery-quality prints of his work with matting and framing.
James Colborn is originally from the United Kingdom who resides in the United States. He’s a racer who after spending four years of high performance driving event (HPDE) days, his good friend, and fellow Cars Yeah guest Don Kitch, owner of ProFormance Racing School in Seattle Washington, handed James the keys to a BMW E30 PRO3 race car and said “Take a few laps.” James was hooked. Since then he’s raced all over the US. The past two years he’s developed the new SPEC E46 class on both the East and West coasts. He’s competed at the professional level in the Continental Tire Series, in the ST class with team BimmerWorld and Compass 360.
Chris Benny is the owner of Prova Motorsports in Seattle Washington. There he and his talented team work on special interest and European sports cars. Their goal is to improve his customer’s experience on the road and track. Chris has over 15 years of experience in road racing, chassis setup and alignment, racing, and instructing with ProFormance Racing School at Pacific Raceway. He races with ICSCC Conference in an Alfa Romeo and coaches other Alfa owners on how to drive better on the street and track.
Seattle resident and racecar driver Don Kitch Jr. has been involved in motorsports for over 25 years. He is a veteran of over 200 professional and amateur racing starts. In 1987 Don and his wife Donna founded ProFormance Racing School at Pacific Raceway where he is the Chief Instructor. In 1997 Don founded Team Seattle focusing on the 24-Hours of Daytona Sports Car Race as a fundraiser for Children’s Hospital of Seattle and in the past 12 years they have raised nearly $6.5 million for the hospital. In 2009 Don teamed up with Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster at Dempsey Racing in a Ferrari 430 GT2 at the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans. Don is always looking ahead down the road as Pacific Raceway expands and grows and he enjoys his involvement in Sports Television Color Commentary and the creation of Motorsports Videos.