A special Girls Night Out let some 42 women test their mettle at Pacific Raceways. The result: a lot of new enthusiasts for the sport.
When it comes to bringing women into motorsport, there’s no doubt who has always been ahead of the pack: ProFormance Racing School has been encouraging women to dive into track driving and racing for more than twenty years. July’s Women Setting the Pace event was a lively celebration of how consequential women’s contribution to motorsport. More recently, Girls Night Out, a special event at ProFormance, welcomed another group of women to Pacific Raceways, to great success.
Drivers of all levels
The day consisted of a variety of experiences designed to enhance driver skills and knowledge – and of course, to whet the appetite for more sport driving. The vast majority of the drivers — 36 of them — were new to the sport; six were solo lappers with varying degrees of experience. All of them received a full menu of instructions:
- Introductory class: Chief Instructor Don Kitch Jr. prepared the drivers for the day, setting forth the concepts that would sink in when they got behind the wheel.
- Braking exercise: participants learned to brake like race car drivers.
- Two & two’s: these lucky women got a chance to do a couple of laps around one of the great tracks of the country, Pacific Raceways, after riding for two laps with ProFormance instructors and getting acquainted with the ins and outs of efficient track driving
- Autocross challenge: running through a course of cones with tight turns is a fine way to challenge yourself and hone your reflexes. The group did a marvelous job.
- Lead-follow laps: All of the drivers got to follow our pro drivers and get the full on-track experience — something many people can only dream of.
Girls Night Out: friends, memories, gifts
After the intense learning and wild experiences on the track came some unwinding: dinner and socializing with old and new friends (motorsport is one of the great friendship incubators). A drawing yielded an impressive prize: hot laps in a very hot car: the McLaren 750S, one of the supercars of this generation. And of course, participants enjoyed a sumptuous dinner and went home with a swag bag.
Some of the women were experienced drivers, but quite a few newbies signed up (or were signed up by friends and relatives who knew they’d love it) and approached the day with trepidation. They all left with good memories, and most have vowed to return and develop their skills further.
Let’s hear what they had to say
Azia, who drove a jeep and was experiencing the track for the first time, noted that the ProFormance staff was friendly and encouraging. Will she come back? “I didn’t go as fast as I wanted on the track, so I have to come back and do that.”
Eve, an F1 fan, went to a Women in Motorsport summit with John and Courtney Song, and “had an absolute blast. I met so many amazing people who share my interests and passions.” John and Courtney Song, co-sponsors of the event, invited Eve to experience the thrill all over again at Girls Night Out. Eve is off to college and hopes to find a local track nearby. “Otherwise, I’ll be descending on Pacific Raceways on weekends to let my car stretch its legs.
Alex, driving a Nissan, found herself at ProFormance through her friend Jack Ramie, a driving instructor here. While she’s attended races, this is her first time driving the track. Her judgement: it was super exciting, and she’ll definitely be back for more. Similarly, her friend Jenna was at Pacific Raceways for the first time. “I loved it – this is so much fun!” They were also impressed by how well the event had been put together.
Katya, sixteen, was proud that she didn’t hit any cones, and she even beat some others’ times in her Z3. Her father came to support her in this challenging but stimulating environment.
John and Courtney Song, longtime friends of ProFormance, provided the McLaren for the thrill rides. They had been brainstorming with Don and Donna about finding more ways to bring women into motorsport. One very welcome surprise was learning how many first-timers were at the event. “We’re excited that it was sold out,” Courtney says. “The interest is obviously there.”
And thanks to ProFormance and their efforts to widen the audience for performance driving, that interest will keep on growing. Watch for more women’s events next year.