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ProFormance Client Testimonials

Read what a few of our customers are saying, or check out
David Schirmer’s account of our One-Day High Performance Driving Experience.

I just got done taking your One-Day High Performance Driving Experience course last Tuesday. This was one of the best days of my life. Granted I am only 26, but still. . . I had a blast! Thank you. – One-Day High Performance Driving Experience Participant

Incredible! No other word will describe our experience with you and your staff! – One-Day High Performance Driving Experience Participant

With the exception of the birth of my two girls, it was the most enjoyable intense day I have ever spent. – Hansen Machine Shop

Yesterday was the scariest, most intimidating, exciting, exhilarating, empowering, and just plain FUN day of my life and I can’t wait to do it again. Just all the information and morning driving skills exercises were worth the full day’s price and then I got all the afternoon of high performance driving for free! – One-Day High Performance Driving Experience Participant

You handled us with grace and style, and yet you were firm when needed. – MTV Road Rules Associate Producer

Thank you! Great Job! They loved it. – Hanauer Motor Racing

Thanks for helping me take my racing career all the way from the One-Day High Performance Driving Experience to Daytona and professional racing. – Professional Racecar Driver

Thanks for another great program. Consistently you guys do it right! – Assistant General Manager MCL Motor Cars Vancouver B.C.

I could not be happier with the way things turned out. All the Seattle Club members went away gleaming. I think you have a rather large group of certified “track junkies” on your hands. – President Seattle Audi Club

A student took a couple of our club schools and started coming out to our lapping days. He talked about taking his car into turn 2 and being a little nervous every time. Well, then he took the One-Day High Performance Driving Experience, and by the end of the day, he was going through turn 2 at 85 mph with tons of confidence. You took him to the next level with his skills and confidence. That’s the story I tell people about the difference between a club school and your school. – Local Driving Club Officer

Regarding the past few days, I feel like I’m twice the driver I was just a week ago! And that’s no BS. I was pretty bummed about the rain yesterday but, today, when I felt the car sliding I knew exactly what to do – it was second nature. I never lost control of my car once today even though I drove it harder than I ever have before while exploring new limits at the same time. While I’m sure I would have had more fun yesterday had the weather cooperated, I learned more as a result of the rain. This is good because I’m serious about driving and learning is more important than having fun. – BMW & Porsche Club Member

ProFormance definitely beat the competition hands down. I never got this kind of one-on-one personal attention, even when I paid close to twice the price for the “big name.” – BMW Club Officer

Your school was by far the most valuable executive training session I’ve taken part in. – One-Day High Performance Driving Experience Participant

The Weissach Track Day was once again a fantastic success. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation and congratulations for a job well done. The event has become extremely popular with our clients undoubtedly due to your personal dedication and hard work. – Weissach Performance, Vancouver B.C.

You have affected all of our lives in a very positive manner. – CRISTA

I’ve attended a few other racing schools. . . Russell, Skip Barber, the I-90 express lanes during rush hour. . . all of which are great, but I believe I enjoy my experience at SIR in your Neons as much or more than any other, as far as sheer driving pleasure, helpful instruction & good sportsmanship. -One-Day High Performance Driving Experience Participant

Never thought I could have so much fun in the rain! The wet makes you slow down and really focus on your line, speed control, proper braking/shifting, etc. Also, your instructors added to the learning experience and made by first time behind my new “wheels” much more enjoyable. – Porsche Enthusiast

Your program was the perfect balance of in-class instruction, car control exercises, and in-car instruction. Additionally, we appreciate ProFormance’s emphasis on safety and professionalism. – One-Day High Performance Driving Experience Participant


Day at the Track
A Client’s perspective of the One-Day High Performance Driving Experience.
By David Schirmer

I finally did it. I took a One-Day High Performance Driving Experience at ProFormance Racing School. Now I wonder what took me so long. To be honest, there were a couple of reasons that I didn’t just jump right in and do it. I was a bit intimidated to be out on a racetrack going as fast as I dared (which may not be as fast as everyone else dared). I was also worried about taking my 26-year-old 308 out and giving it a serious workout. It turns out those worries were completely unfounded.

The One-Day High Performance Driving Experience is designed to give a driver a taste of driving on the track. In doing this, they give you lessons that make you a better day to day driver. There is a mix of classroom sessions and on the track driving exercises. The time is well balanced so you don’t get worn out from class or driving. The morning is mainly classroom and specific exercises on the track. The class gives an overview of what you are trying to achieve in the track exercises.

The class is really interesting as it explains a lot of information that seems pretty basic. But when you get real-life examples and then apply it to a specific exercise, you find that it really makes sense. You start out saying to yourself, “Well duh” and you end up applying it to your driving. This, I have found, has improved my daily driving in ways I never imagined. Don Kitch Jr., the Founder and Chief Instructor of the school, runs the classroom sessions. He has a great teaching style that calls on his experience as a race driver and also uses his daily driving experiences to create a very informative session. He also leads the group that isn’t on the track in observing the other drivers during their lapping sessions. As he said, “We get to go watch the other guys screw up.” He must have busted a gut watching me trying to negotiate 5A and 5B.

The exercises are various scenarios based on understanding the dynamics of a car in motion. There was a slalom course, a braking exercise, and a collision avoidance maneuver. The slalom and collision avoidance maneuver both had points where you had to make a sudden decision. An instructor would indicate that you had to skip a cone in the slalom by raising a flag. In the collision avoidance scenario, one of the instructors would point which way you had to turn to avoid a line of cones. In my mind, they always signaled at the last possible moment. The valuable lesson I learned is that my reaction to sudden situations is pretty lousy. I jerk the wheel, lift off the throttle and pretty much do everything wrong. I tried to smooth this out during my numerous runs, but Michael Schumacher I am not.

After the exercises, we started into the track-driving portion of the day. We took two slow laps with an instructor driving our car. They pointed out the proper line and showed us various visual indicators to help us set up for turns correctly. We had been taught in the classroom what we were trying to achieve in going through a turn. We learned about braking, the turn-in point, the apex, and the exit. Now we were seeing it all come together. This was really the fun part.

We then spent all afternoon alternating between Group 1 and Group 2. While one was lapping the other was observing. An instructor was with you in the car the whole time. My instructor was fantastic, always giving me enough information but never overloading me. Then, he would add on knowledge as I started to get the hang of particular sections. It is really great having someone who knows what they are talking about, critiquing your driving.

The first run for each group was class participants only. Then, just to make things interesting the lapping also included people who had already taken the school and were just out lapping on their own. There were strict places where passing was allowed, controlled by the instructors. As a matter of fact, the instructors even adjusted the rearview mirror so they could see what was behind. It is kind of weird to glance up at the rearview mirror and have it turned completely the wrong way. I got used to it and was able to concentrate on the track and what was in front of me. It was really, really fun. As you get going, you gain confidence. Each turn is a puzzle that requires you to set the car up correctly and execute the turn correctly. A lot of the turns depend on what you did in the previous turn. The toughest turns for me were 3A and 3B. I spent all afternoon trying to adequately negotiate my way through. Talk about variations on a theme. Only toward the end of the day did I start to see what I was supposed to do. Even then, it was still pretty messy.

I have to say that the day ended too soon. My skills were definitely improved. I also was impressed with how well the 308 behaved on the track. It ran and handled great. I never really pushed it to the point that I scared myself, but even when I went up a notch; the car had plenty more notches to go. It’s not the fastest thing on earth, but it seems to know exactly how to behave through a turn. For me, that was the fun part. Also, the car held up to the rigors of the track quite well. The tires looked a bit used and there was a good pile of brake dust everywhere, but other than that, all the vital signs were right on.

I would have to say that my day at the track was well worth it. I got to explore the performance of my car without the fear of tickets and civilian traffic. I learned how to improve my driving. And I spent the day at the track with some other nice folks and their nice cars all enjoying the same experience. I would highly recommend taking this class with your fine Italian automobile.

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