For Donna Porada-Kitch, the journey from behind the desk to back behind the wheel at a storied racetrack was a revelation and a personal triumph.
Most people who frequent ProFormance Racing School see Donna everywhere around the office and the paddock. This past summer, a few ProFormance regulars saw her behind the wheel at Le Mans in France. The trip was more than a diversion for Donna: it revived a long-held passion.
The track beckons
Donna’s return to high performance driving began four years ago, at the Thermal Club, followed by a driving session on the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 circuit. With her zeal for track driving renewed, Donna promised herself she would drive whenever she got the chance.
“Then, per usual,” says Donna, “life happened.” Business and family matters came up constantly— “the daily demands that somehow always seem more important than the promises we make to ourselves” —and before she knew it, four years had gone by, and she hadn’t driven a single day!
Making the commitment
The big change happened in December at the last ProFormance Christmas party, when Donna quietly shared with some friends her ambition to drive the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans. Last year Siena had driven the course. This year she would be one of nine drivers on the list to accept the challenge.
“The support was immediate,” notes Donna. “It was an enormous goal, and honestly, saying it out loud was a little terrifying. But I knew once I spoke those words, I had to make them happen.”
This wasn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill track day. This was lapping in a super-fast race car, on slick tires, at the hallowed Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans, France. The track, which was created for events beyond the main circuit’s classic endurance racing, features an eleven-meter elevation gain and a tight hairpin section requiring advanced skill and technical precision.
Practicing for the event
Training began in January. Donna drove at Pacific Raceways every day she could. Given her work schedule, she could only manage 15 minutes on some days, an hour on others, but “every lap made a difference.” She was re-learning how to drive a slow car fast, a concept that will be familiar to anyone who has spent time at ProFormance.
Being chief admin at ProFormance had some perks: “I worked with half a dozen members of our incredible staff,” she notes. She also had the privilege of driving all three of ProFormance’s Women’s Track Days, something that time never allowed before. “Sharing the track with our female clients was something I will always cherish.”
Training the brain for Le Mans
When Donna wasn’t driving, she attacked the Bugatti Circuit on the simulator. “At first, I crashed every time at the top of the Bugatti Dunlop Curve.” Eventually she mastered the simulated track, achieving respectable lap times, but it took some work. “I went to bed tracing racing lines around Pacific Raceways and the Bugatti Circuit in my brain, and I’d wake up doing the same.”
Getting to know Le Mans
Having polished her driving chops, Donna arrived in France with the intention of drinking in everything she could about Le Mans, in order to deepen the experience. She learned about the old town and the circuits, both the main one and the Bugatti circuit she was to drive on. She was soon steeped in the area’s history.
Don, a veteran of the course, gave the group a tour of the full circuit, going into detail about the famously unforgiving Arnage turn and the Mulsanne Straight, where many speed records were broken.
Day 1
After a restless night, the first track day—Saturday—finally arrived. The task of the day was familiarization with the track, on which cones were placed to guide Le Mans novices. Before Donna headed out, Don offered a simple piece of advice: “Have three goals for your first session.” Donna’s were 1) Learn every apex, turn-in point, and exit on the Bugatti Circuit; 2) Complete clean sighting laps. 3) Have fun.
She climbed out of the car after that first lapping session relieved, excited, exhausted, and soaked from the heat and stress of driving at an intensity unlike anything she’d ever experienced. “Somewhere between 10 and 12 bottles of water over the day reminded me of just how much concentration and hydration racing demands.”
Day 2
Sunday morning began with sore muscles. “My neck ached from the HANS device on my shoulders; my arms ached from the intensity of driving the car. I had an entirely new appreciation for endurance drivers who spend hours in race cars while staying mentally sharp.”
At the track Sunday, the cones were gone, and the group launched into a full day of driving. “Now it was time to trust everything I had learned. How well had I memorized my reference points?” In fact, she drove well, though she noticed that by the end of the day concentration was getting more difficult.
The day offered a happy surprise: during one driving session there were only 5 cars on the track: Donna, her daughter Siena, ProFormance stalwart Cindy Miller Topinka, and two other women: a rare all-female session at Le Mans. “Our entire team stood in the pit lane cheering us on.” It was a moment they would never forget.
Achieving goals
Donna summarizes the rest of the day as, “more driving, more personal bests. Nothing quite prepares you for blasting down the front straight at full throttle before standing on the brakes into the Dunlop (now Goodyear) Curves, or flying through the Chemin aux Bœufs S-curves, which quickly became one of my favorite sections of the entire circuit.”
A celebratory dinner crowned the evening. “Something magical happened that night,” Donna says. “Looking around the room, I realized every guest had experienced something far bigger than driving.”
Taking stock
“In my wildest dreams I didn’t think it could ever be as good as it was,” Donna says. “Everyone had a great time. The weather was hot, but not crazy hot; the cars were amazing. There was lots of traffic on the race track, but we all knew what to do. Having a supportive team helped. And of course, Don helped with some mental tune-ups and his vast store of racing knowledge.”
Donna stresses that she couldn’t have done it without “ the incredible team who encouraged me every step of the way, and my amazing husband Don and supportive daughter Siena.” Thanks to their help, the experience exceeded every expectation.
Reflection: the joy of the open road
The Le Mans trip was more than a test of mettle for Donna: it was a much-needed break from the admittedly enjoyable routine of managing ProFormance for well over three decades. “When you’re in the car driving, you have nothing else to think about, and that’s a beautiful thing.”
“As I drove, I remembered every hour spent studying videos, every simulator lap, every notebook filled with turn-by-turn notes. But I also thought about all the trips Don and I have made to Le Mans over the years, watching him live his dream and share his passion with so many people. This weekend, in one small way, I got to share it with him.”
